Thinking about buying a Porsche? You may want to wait for the flying model.
Porsche and Chicago-based Boeing are working together to develop "premium" electric flying cars and further study the potential for personal urban air mobility vehicles. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding Thursday to better understand the market and design a concept for a fully electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle.
Engineers from both Porsche and Boeing will work to implement and test a prototype, the companies said.
"Porsche is looking to enhance its scope as a sports car manufacturer by becoming a leading brand for premium mobility. In the longer term, this could mean moving into the third dimension of travel," Detlev von Platen, member of the executive board for sales and marketing at Porsche AG, said in a statement.
A study by Porsche found that the market for flying cars will "pick up speed" by 2025, and that they will transport passengers more quickly and efficiently than current transit methods---while also at a lower cost, the company said. Though at least initially, Porsche and Boeing's "premium" label indicates that passengers will likely pay a pretty penny for the chance to fly a Porsche.
The partnership comes less than a week after Uber launched its Uber Copter service in New York, a helicopter service that gets you from downtown Manhattan to JFK. The Uber Copter ride costs around $200 for the 8-minute, one-way flight.
Airbus and Audi are working on a flying car concept, and Japanese electronics company NEC tested a flying car prototype of its own earlier this summer.
