Volkswagen Unveils A Prototype Of Its X-Wing Passenger Drone

There may come a day when we look to the skies and see our neighbors zooming by us in their flying cars, among the birds. And that day may be closer than we think.

Volkswagen Group China has just unveiled a look into its new personal flying drone, the ‘V.MO.’ The prototype was a result of a project launched in 2020 by the Chinese subsidiary as an exploration into the emerging market of electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) vehicles.

According to Design Week, the eVTOL was designed in tandem with Tangerine, a London-based design studio that won a competition to work with Volkswagen. The studio was put in charge of engineering the exterior and interior of the vehicle. 

The V.MO—which was nicknamed ‘Flying Tiger’ by the manufacturing team due to its black and orange stripes—is a fully electric personal aircraft that is 37 feet long and 35 feet wide.

It uses an X-wing configuration to hold six propellers while it has two propulsion propellers attached to the back of the body. It also has helicopter skids to ease take-off and landing and to make it easier for passengers to get in and out.

In its final testing, it will be able to hold four passengers—and their luggage—and will be able to travel a total of 124 miles. 

Over a hundred potential clients were reached out to for user research, whose responses greatly impacted the design and function of the V.MO.

Over the course of the next two years, Volkswagen is aiming to put the electric flying taxi through rigorous testing. Volkswagen China is also in talks with the authorities to secure the necessary certification for the commercial production of personal aircraft.

[via Volkswagen, Technology.org and Design Week, images via various sources]