It’s flying into the long run — of driving.
The world’s first flying car made its grand debut Monday at the Detroit Auto Show — wowing crowds just two months after gaining legal approval.
California-based Alef Aeronautics unveiled its swanky Model A prototype, which closely resembles a regular sedan aside from its UFO-esque bubble-like seating area large enough to suit two passengers with an affinity for soaring.
The history-making vehicle was not flown at the annual event — Alef remains to be roughly two years away from starting production on the primary flyable car.
“It’s still not the ultimate consumer version,” founder and CEO Jim Dukhovny told Robb Report.
“But at this point, it’s pretty close.”
When it hits the market, the Model A will come attached to a $300,000 price tag.
The flying car was awarded a Special Airworthiness Certification from the Federal Aviation Administration in June, meaning the corporate will probably be allowed to check it on each the road and within the air.
Dukhovny, whose father was famous musician and poet Leonid Dukhovny, originally imagined that the flying car could help save time wasted in traffic, but said, “Each time I seek advice from any person, people give you recent use cases.”
The fully electric vehicle could be driven as much as 200 miles on public roads, but it might probably also launch vertically into the air with a flying range of 110 miles.
The cabin is engineered to rotate and stabilize the motive force/flyer as they weave through the air.
Plus, the car will offer “cinematic” 180-plus degree views, the corporate said.
The conveyance measures about 17 feet long, 7 feet wide and 6 feet high — much like the scale of an SUV — and is designed to slot in any automobile parking space or garage.
Since it is aimed at most people, the Model A was designed to be easy to learn, especially considering there will probably be little air traffic to take care of while learning the ropes.
“I can teach you how you can fly and drive this in about quarter-hour or less,” Dukhovny told Robb Report.
“In the event you can tell the difference between the precise, left, up, down, back and front, you’ll be able to do that. It’s just about the one controls it has.”