SEOUL (Reuters) – Hyundai Motor Group’s air taxi unit Supernal plans to build a manufacturing facility in the United States to make flying electric taxis for commuters, the South Korean auto group said on Wednesday.
A prototype of the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) craft will be shown at global tech show Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January in Las Vegas, Supernal Chief Executive Officer Shin Jaiwon said in an interview with Bloomberg.
Electric air taxi-makers worldwide have pitched themselves as clean alternatives to decongest cities, attracting investment from airline heavyweights such as Delta Air Lines Inc though they are still a long way away from commercial operations.
Shin said the eVTOL taxi would be capable of flying at 120 mph (193 kph) and have capacity for a pilot and four passengers, targeting December 2024 for a test flight.
Hyundai Motor, Kia Corp and Hyundai Mobis, have together invested 1.2 trillion won ($915.70 million) in Washington-based Supernal since its establishment in 2021, according to regulatory filings.
Last month, Hyundai Motor Group signed an agreement with Korean Air Lines to work together to accelerate the design of electric eVTOL vehicles and air mobility ecosystem in South Korea.
($1 = 1,310.4700 won)
(Reporting by Heekyong Yang; editing by Robert Birsel)
