A Flying Car? Airbus Goes Full-Out Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang

Could traffic jams be a thing of the pst thanks to flying cars?

I have to admit I’m old enough for “Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang” to be one of my favorite childhood movies and that I’ve always been a sucker for flying cars.

As if we don’t live in an age where all that futuristic technology is fast becoming a reality, now Gizmodo reports that Airbus Group is getting closer to building its own flying car model. According to the article, Airbus’ A3 innovation group based in Silicon Valley is working on Project Vahana, a vehicle that would have “multiple propellers and resemble a small drone in its design.” Billed as a “CityAirbus,” the vehicle is being positioned as an alternative to regular taxis, and Airbus is aiming for the end of 2017 to release a prototype.

An article about the project on the Airbus site talks about the need to solve the world’s traffic problem as 60% of the world’s population flock to cities by 2030, an increase of about 10% over today. Airbus sees the autonomous flying car—a fleet of them actually—as an antidote to urban sprawl and gridlock.

It’s definitely more ambitious than the old flick’s vision—and inordinately more cool.