In October, Hyundai Motor Group became just the latest player to get into the flying car game when the company hired Dr. Jaiwon Shin as Executive Vice President and Head of the company's new Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Division. Shin led R&D projects like the supersonic X-plane at NASA for about 30 years.
On November 7, 2019, Hyundai's Executive Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun revealed that the car company plans to have its own flying car technology by 2023 and commercialize an air taxi service as soon as 2029. The company plans on partnering with technology leaders as well as startups around the world to make its vision a reality.
The Hyundai exec made the announcement while giving the keynote speech at the Mobility Innovators Forum 2019 hosted by Hyundai Motor at Pier 27 in San Francisco.
Like many Urban Air Mobility competitors, Hyundai hopes its plans will help fix the many traffic woes that cripple transportation in urban areas. However, Hyundai is taking a more human-centered approach.
The company recently set up the Human-Centered City Advisory Group, which is made up of engineering, urban planning and psychology experts. The group is tasked with creating a blueprint for future cities and publishing its findings sometime next year.
The motor group has also been working on the 2050 Future City Project to make predictions on future cities to work as a guideline for smart city development.
The company's 2050 Future City Project even released an illustration of its interpretation of the Future of San Francisco, and well, it's something.
2050 Vision: Future of San Francisco, as envisioned by Hyundai Motor Group’s 2050 Future City Project.Hyundai Motor Group
The Mobility Innovators Forum was hosted by Hyundai CRADLE, Hyundai's venturing and open innovation business, which partners with and invests in startups to accelerate the development of advanced automotive technologies.
