Latest news with #AntonZajac
Express Tribune
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- Express Tribune
Klein Vision to launch first mass-produced flying car in 2026 with a price tag up to $1 million
Klein Vision has announced that its AirCar, the first mass-produced flying car certified for flight, will be available for purchase starting in early 2026. The vehicle is expected to be priced between $800,000 and $1 million, according to a company spokesperson. Klein Vision has certified their flying car, AirCar, which transforms into an airplane in only 90 seconds. Sales are set to begin in early 2026 at a starting price of $800,000. — Pop Base (@PopBase) May 15, 2025 The AirCar marks the first flying car produced in over 75 years and was recently showcased at the Living Legends of Aviation Gala in Beverly Hills. The event honoured company founder Stefan Klein with the Special Recognition Award for Engineering Excellence. Stefan Klein said, 'The AirCar fulfills a lifelong dream to bring the freedom of flight into the hands of everyday people.' The aircraft has completed 170 flight hours and over 500 takeoffs and landings. With a cruising flight speed of 135 knots (155 mph), it also boasts a range of 620 miles and can reach an altitude of 10,000 feet, potentially more with oxygen support. Anton Zajac, Klein Vision's co-founder, noted that the AirCar also performs on the road. It can drive up to 497 miles with a top speed of 124 mph. The transformation from car to aircraft takes less than two minutes, featuring retractable wings, a folding tail and parachute system. Zajac added, 'The goal was to build a sports car that behaves like one, and in aircraft mode, it behaves exactly like an aircraft with zero compromise.'
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
This $1M flying car can reach speeds of 155 mph
A Slovakian startup working to make the age-old dream of flying cars a reality says it has a new prototype that could ship as early as 2026. Klein Vision, which has spent the past three decades developing its 'AirCar,' has already completed over 170 flight hours and more than 500 takeoffs and landings. It also became one of the first vehicles of its kind to receive a certificate of airworthiness back in 2022. Now, the company says it's ready to shift out of the testing phase and into production. Whether it can actually get there, however, remains far from certain. Many companies have tried—and failed—to bring flying cars to life. Klein Vision claims its Jetsons-like vehicle can transform from a four-wheel car into a fixed-wing aircraft in under two minutes. Video demonstrations of its transition from flight mode to driving show the two wings retracting and folding in on themselves, somewhat resembling a hardtop convertible. Once in car mode, the company says it generates downforce using a spoiler and elevator pitch. The newest iteration of the vehicle can reportedly reach top speeds of 124 mph on the road and 155 mph in the air, with a maximum flight range of around 1,000 kilometers. (620 miles). 'The AirCar is a fusion of certified aviation engineering and advanced automotive design—a true dual-mode vehicle that meets rigorous standards in both air and ground performance,' AirCar co-founder Anton Zajac said in a statement. The company did not immediately respond to Popular Science's request for comment, but told The Next Web that it hopes to start shipping to customers as early as 2026, with an estimated price between $800,000 and $1 million. According to The Next Web, the newly announced model includes several noteworthy improvements. It features a 280-horsepower motor—double the power of the previous version. It can also fly longer, drive farther, and switch between modes slightly faster. The first iteration of the AirCar received a Certificate of Airworthiness from the Slovak Transport Authority after completing 70 hours of 'rigorous flight testing,' according to the company. This newest version will also need to receive certification before it can legally take to the skies. But even if the new and improved AirCar finds buyers, potential owners shouldn't expect their expensive new toy to soar over rush hour traffic. In car mode, the AirCar can, in theory, operate much like any other road vehicle. Those looking to fly it, however, will first need to drive to an airport and take off from a runway. For now, the AirCar's flight path is limited to travel between airports. The video below shows the original AirCar making its maiden flight back in 2021. Dreams of functional flying cars date back to the days of Henry Ford in the early 1900s. For now, they remain primarily in the realm of fiction, but that might be changing ever so slightly. Startups like Terrafugia and Moller Skycar have previously demonstrated the ability to transform between car and plane modes, but neither were able to successfully bring their vehicles to a commercial market. Terrafugia actually received a certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration, but it has since reportedly shuttered its US operations after being acquired by the Chinese firm Geely back in 2017. Moller Skycar famously listed its flagship vehicle on eBay that same year—with the caveat that the buyer would not be legally allowed to fly it. Where there's significantly more commercial activity currently ongoing is in the closely related area of Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) vehicles. These vehicles have wheels but are intended to be able to lift off into the air without the need for a runway. In practical terms, they are somewhere in between a flying car and a helicopter. The two leading companies in that space, Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation, have already struck deals with airlines in the US and the U.K to transport passengers between airports and helicopter pads. In theory, that would allow time-crunched travellers to bypass traffic on busy streets. Related: [These new flying taxis offer a glimpse at our future commutes] But those use cases are still a far cry from the vision many futurists have of personal flying cars swarming city skies. Many of the obstacles keeping that vision grounded go beyond the technology itself. Current certification processes mean owners of these vehicles would need to acquire a pilot's license to operate them. Federal and local regulators would also need to radically reimagine traffic logistics and safety rules to accommodate what would essentially be a new dimension of navigation. There's also the very real concern about what happens if one of these flying cars falls out of the sky. The far more likely scenario is that a handful of airworthy car-plane hybrids may reach the market—but remain confined to use as expensive toys for wealthy enthusiasts.
Top Gear
08-05-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
The £600k AirCar is going on sale in early 2026: here's everything you need to know
Tech Plus, we sit down for some quick-fire questions with its maker, Anton Zajac Skip 10 photos in the image carousel and continue reading So, here it is: the future we were all promised by countless movies. Slovakia-based Klein Vision's two-seat AirCar - a fully functioning flying car that has already gained its certifications - will officially go on sale in early 2026 from around £600,000. The aim? The sensible CorporateSpeak goes something like 'revolutionise the way we think about private and public transportation'. Really though, it's a FLYING CAR. For the production spec versions, the previously reported BMW 1.6-litre engine is being swapped out for a new petrol-fuelled powertrain from a South African provider. Three versions will be available - 280bhp, 320bhp and 340bhp - and all are suitably future-proofed for emissions regulations. Advertisement - Page continues below Let's dissect the 'car' bit first. Klein Vision quotes a 'safe' top speed of 124mph and a kerbweight of just 800kg, so this thing should be nippy. In terms of size while in car mode, it'll be two metres wide, 5.8m long and 1.8m tall - comparable to a Rolls-Royce Phantom in all but height. But don't forget: this thing flies , so it has wings. Wings that have been cleverly bundled within the car's own architecture when not in use, that at the flick of a switch emerge to provide a total wingspan of 8.2m. The tail will extend to grant a new length of seven metres, too, just to make sure there's enough distance between the centre of gravity and control surfaces. You might like When you do eventually take flight, Klein Vision says a maximum altitude of 10,000ft can be reached in these initial cars. Beyond this, there's a regulation that requires you to have oxygen tanks within, and it's something the team hasn't yet thought about. Y'see, it reckons most of you pilonauts will sit at no more than 2,500ft, because there's simply no need to cruise any higher. Advertisement - Page continues below Speaking of which, the AirCar will do its cruising at up to 155mph (135 knots), and there are three fuel tanks in place - one in the centre and two out wide - which provide a unified 160 litres of fuel. Range? That'll be 621 miles. It all sounds jolly good, so let's get some more insight from the AirCar's co-creator, Anton Zajac. TG: What's this thing going to be like to drive on the road? AZ: Stephen Klein, my colleague, is an engineer and pilot, and he's worked very closely with companies like Volkswagen. The Veyron was actually developed by one of his students. The goal here was to create a shape that resembles a sports car, and since it weighs only 800kg, it's fast. What's the procedure for getting it airborne then? You just drive right up to the runway, push one button, and it'll transform into a craft. The steering wheel acts as a yoke. We wanted the AirCar to feel exactly like a car , so you have all the usual pedals and things in place, even when you're in aircraft mode. You won't need to learn anything new, and that might not sound like a big deal, but it is. Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox. The key for the AirCar was to find the right shape and make sure you could park it within a standard space. To achieve that, we looked at an old Czechoslovakian creation, the Tatra. It was a car which, when it got up to speed, started to lift its nose like… an aeroplane. We call this a 'lift body' shape, and so in our case, we looked here for inspiration. Using what we learnt and applying it to the AirCar, the body now produces a 30 per cent upward pull force, which is just the right amount for when you want lift-off. How sure are you that there will even be a demand for flying cars? In North America, there are already 253,000 small planes by estimate. If we can capture even five per cent of this market, which I believe we can, there's a strong business model right there. Plus, shared services like Uber will almost certainly adopt flying cars. There are 30 million taxis in the world, and if you convert even one per cent of this, you have a multibillion-dollar company. So yes, I think the demand will be there. How much customisation will be available? You can have a very simple version, or you can have one with leather and different instruments which is more complex. You can get glass displays or a completely analogue cockpit. Essentially, you can make it as luxurious or as rudimentary as you want.
