Hyundai Motor unveils prototype of new electric air taxi

Seoul, Jan 10 (IANS) Hyundai Motor Group has unveiled the prototype of its new air taxi model at the global technology show ‘CES 2024’, company officials said on Wednesday, as it steps up efforts to make inroads into the global electric flying taxi market.

Supernal, a US-based air taxi unit of Hyundai, showcased the product concept of the S-A2, an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL), at the trade show in Las Vegas.

The S-A2, built on the company's previous S-A1 vision concept, brings together Supernal's innovative aerospace engineering and Hyundai Motor Group's automotive aesthetic design to create a new mode of transportation to transport people in urban areas, reports Yonhap news agency.

Supernal said it will work to achieve commercial aviation safety levels and enable affordable manufacturing of its vehicles as it prepares to enter the market in 2028.

The S-A2 is a V-tail aircraft designed to cruise 120 miles per hour at a 1,500-foot altitude to meet typical city transportation needs.

Hyundai said it features distributed electric propulsion architecture and has eight all-tilting rotors that power the vehicle through both the vertical-lift and horizontal-cruise phases of flight with unique efficiency.

Supernal's engineering teams partnered with Hyundai Motor Group's automotive designers on S-A2's aesthetics to blend design with functionality.

"From the beginning, Supernal has been on a mission to create the right product and the right market at the right time," said Shin Jai-won, head of the group's advanced air mobility and CEO of Supernal.

Shin added that the unveiling of the S-A2 demonstrates the group's "unwavering commitment to deliver on that mission with a safe, efficient vehicle design that provides a clear path to market entry."

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