Source: Klein Vision20th May 2025 – (Bratislava) Slovakia-based Klein Vision is set to make flying cars a reality with the anticipated release of its AirCar in early 2026. Styled like a sleek sports coupe, the hybrid vehicle features retractable wings that transform it from car to aircraft in under two minutes. Founder Stefan Klein described the AirCar as fulfilling a “lifelong dream” of merging road and air transport into a new era of personal mobility.
The AirCar, which has already completed over 170 hours of successful flight testing, including more than 500 take-offs and landings, operates on regular petrol fuel and can carry two passengers to a cruising altitude of 18,000 feet. It reaches speeds of up to 155 mph in the air after a runway take-off requiring 300 metres. Klein Vision plans to debut the next iteration of the AirCar, dubbed AirCar 2, with its first flight scheduled for September.
With a starting price of $800,000 (£600,000) and customisation options that could raise the cost to $1 million (£750,000), the AirCar is positioned as both a luxury product for leisure travel and a potential solution for commercial taxi services. Buyers can choose engines ranging from 280 to 340 horsepower, offering flexibility in performance to suit personal or professional needs.
The AirCar’s revolutionary design and capabilities have drawn comparisons to fictional flying vehicles, with French composer Jean-Michel Jarre becoming its first passenger in 2024. Jarre described his experience as akin to stepping into a Jules Verne novel, blending futuristic innovation with the practical realities of modern transportation. Meanwhile, James May, former host of Top Gear, witnessed the AirCar in action and declared himself “lost for words” at the hybrid’s seamless functionality.
While the AirCar has received a Certificate of Airworthiness in Slovakia, allowing for commercial passenger use, regulatory hurdles remain in other regions. In the UK, for instance, £20 million has been allocated by the government to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to advance flying taxi technologies. Transport Minister Mike Kane recently announced plans for piloted flying taxis by 2026, though it is unclear if AirCar will be authorised for immediate operation in British airspace.
Klein Vision’s ambition aligns with projections from Morgan Stanley, which estimates the global flying car market could reach $1 trillion by 2040 and surge to $9 trillion by 2050. The adoption of flying vehicles is expected to reduce road congestion and unlock the vast, underutilised potential of urban airspace, paving the way for a new era of mobility.