Suzuki Partners with SkyDrive to Work on Electric ‘Flying' Cars; Production Likely to Start Next Year

The two companies signed a deal in March last year to team up in research, development and marketing of flying cars.

By Reuters | Updated: 20 June 2023 10:19 IST

Suzuki Partners with SkyDrive to Work on Electric ‘Flying' Cars; Production Likely to Start Next Year

Photo Credit: Reuters

Suzuki and SkyDrive aim to begin production by around spring next year

Highlights

They will use a Suzuki Group factory in central Japan for manufacturing
SkyDrive will establish a wholly owned subsidiary
They plan to make electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft

Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor said on Tuesday it had reached an agreement with SkyDrive to make "flying cars".

The companies will use a Suzuki Group factory in central Japan to make electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and aim to begin production by around spring next year, Suzuki said in a statement.

SkyDrive will establish a wholly owned subsidiary to make the aircraft and Suzuki will help with preparations for the manufacturing, including securing talent, the automaker said.

[Sponsored] Samsung Galaxy S24: The Ultimate Camera Phone With Smarter On-Device AI

Headquartered in the city of Toyota in central Japan, SkyDrive has trading house Itochu, tech firm NEC Corp and a unit of energy company Eneos Holdings among its main shareholders.

The two companies signed a deal in March last year to team up in research, development and marketing of flying cars. They added then that they will also work to open up new markets with an initial focus on India, where Suzuki has a roughly half share of the auto market. Suzuki announced that it plans to invest Rs. 10,420 crore in its India factory to produce electric vehicles and batteries.

The companies didn't disclose details of investments in their partnership, nor outline any production timetable or target.

Founded in 2018, Tokyo-headquartered SkyDrive counts big Japan businesses like trading house Itochu, tech firm NEC and a unit of energy company Eneos Holdings among its main shareholders. In 2020 it raised CNY 5.1 billion (roughly 320 crore) in total in Series B funds, according to its website.

ChatGPT May Soon Start Taking Voice Commands in Mercedes-Benz

© Thomson Reuters 2023

Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix 2023: Timings in India, How to Watch

What are the most exciting titles that gamers can look forward to in 2023? We discuss some of our favourites on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.