By Elishya Perera
SAN FRANCISCO, California, USA (CWBN)_South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co. is working with Uber to launch urban air taxies in Los Angeles and New York City towards the end of the decade.
Jose Munoz, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor North America, said at an Automotive Press Association teleconference on Monday (Nov 09) that the air taxies would be in operation at major U.S. airports such as LAX in Los Angeles and JFK in New York “by 2028, maybe earlier”.
According to Munoz, Hyundai is already developing “flying devices” powered by electric motors and batteries which can seat five to six passengers and zip around for short-distance flights.
“We are all-in on autonomous vehicles,” Munoz said. However, his remarks come at a time when investment in robo-taxis has dropped amidst the pandemic.
He also claimed that Hyundai intends to work with the new Biden administration to manufacture battery-operated electric and hydrogen electric vehicles.
In addition to the air taxies, the automaker will be introducing several new trucks and SUVs, including the redesigned Tucson compact crossover which goes into production early next year, and the all-new Santa Cruz, a compact utility vehicle with a pickup bed and the Ioniq 5 crossover, the first in a series of new all-electric models.
Both vehicles will go into production at Hyundai’s Montgomery, Alabama plant as part of a $410 million expansion.
Edited by Kaveesha Fernando
