Hyundai recently announced the creation of its new Urban Air Mobility (UAM) division, marking its entry into the flying automotive development business. The automotive company’s new division will primarily be focused on the development of flying cars to solve traffic problems on the ground.
Spearheading the division will be Dr Jaiwon Shin, a former engineer from NASA. Before his appointment, Shin was involved in NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate and took part in several of NASA’s aeronautics research initiatives. Including the development of the supersonic X-Plane and the electrification of aircraft.
According to Shin, he expects that the UAM sector will grow into a market worth US$1.5 trillion (~RM6.28 trillion) over a span of 20 years. Further, Hyundai says that Shin’s expertise in aviation engines, safety, and air traffic management will allow it to take the lead in the urban air mobility sector.
Hyundai isn’t the first automotive company to want its own urban air mobility vehicle. Corporations such as Uber, Volocopter, Kitty Hawk and Boeing have been in the race longer, and in turn have also established their own “flying car” divisions. On that note, the Malaysian government has also been working on its own flying car project, with a prototype expected to be shown sometime this month.
(Source: Hyundai via Engadget, TechCrunch // Images: Hyundai)
