This flying SUV is now testing on America’s roads and in its skies

The flying car dream is edging closer to reality. Or at least it is for well-heeled individuals who value function over form.

The Aska A5 is described as a four-seater “Drive and Fly” vehicle. It’s powered by electric wheel motors for road use and a combination of drone-style rotors for lift, and larger props for forward motion in the air.

In road mode the A5 looks ungainly, and worryingly-top-heavy, as the wings and rotors fold on top of the canopy, but push a button and they perform a reverse-origami move to switch to the aerial mode that was clearly the main focus of the design.

The A5 has already received certification from the Federal Aviation Administration to undergo flight testing and has now become “the world’s first flying car to receive authorization to drive on public roads from the United States Department of Motor Vehicles.”

In the air the A5 is claimed to have a top speed of 150 mph and a range of 250 miles, while thanks to its innovative design it only needs a short runway to for take-off or landing.

It’s billed as door-to-door transportation so that’s why the large SUV-sized Aska is also being put through its paces on the roads of California’s Silicon Valley, but looking at the promotional video below, one can’t imagine anyone wanting to drive it very far (or fast). Nonetheless, the company says it has already taken more than 60 pre-orders for the A5 with an early-adopter price tag of $789,000.

https://youtu.be/d7lA3Ibv1MA