'Flying Car' First Private Sale in Japan... Price is 2 Billion Won

Air Taxi SD-05 Sales Begin
Foreign Media "Expected to Become Next-Generation Transportation"

The futuristic scene of flying cars in sci-fi movies is soon becoming a reality. In Japan, the sale of 'flying cars' to individuals has begun.

On the 14th, Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun reported, "Japanese eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft) manufacturer SkyDrive has started selling the so-called 'flying car' SD-05 to individuals."

Previously, SkyDrive attracted attention by successfully completing test flights of the flying car SD-03 in 2020 with support from Toyota. The SD-03, measuring 4 meters in length and 2 meters in height, was dubbed "the world's smallest electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft" at the time of its unveiling.

SD-05 [Image source=Captured from Skydrive homepage]

Following that, in 2022, SkyDrive revealed the design of the electric air taxi SD-05. The SD-05 has two seats and can fly up to 10 km at a speed of 100 km/h.

The SD-05 is scheduled to be commercialized and delivered to buyers at the 2025 Osaka Kansai Expo, with a price of 1.5 million dollars (approximately 1.971 billion won). The price includes battery costs, but operating and maintenance costs are charged separately.

Yomiuri Shimbun stated, "This aircraft can take off and land very flexibly, so it is expected to become the next-generation means of transportation." Recently, the first customer to actually purchase one has emerged, sparking renewed interest.

The urban air mobility sector has recently become a hot topic in the global mobility industry. Leading companies and startups worldwide are developing various electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, and commercialization is underway in the U.S., Europe, and other regions for uses such as air taxis and airport shuttles.