A flying car that morphs into a plane in just 80 seconds is set to go on sale in early 2026.
Slovakian flying car maker Klein Vision unveiled the Aircar 2, its first “production-ready” prototype, today.
Klein Vision co-founder Anton Zajac told TNW that the vehicle will cost between $800,000 and $1mn.
The original Aircar garnered a lot of attention back in 2021 when it successfully conducted a 35-minute inter-city test flight. The Aircar 2 will have some major upgrades over its predecessor.
Klein Vision has scrapped the 1.6-litre BMW engine for a new 280-horsepower motor with twice the power. This is set to boost the aircraft’s cruising speed from 170 to 250 km/h, shorten the takeoff distance, and increase its overall safety.
The new model will be made of a single shell (monocoque), which will provide better structural support. The Aircar 2 is designed to transform into a plane in just 1 minute, 20 seconds — about half the time it previously took.
The flying car will have a range of around 1000km and be powered by petrol. Klein Vision plans to go electric “as soon as the energy density of the batteries is good enough,” Zajac said.
Owners of the flying car, which measures 5.8-metres in length, will be able to store it in most standard parking spots. Once they want to fly, they would have to drive the vehicle to their local airport, press a button to deploy the wings and rudder, and take-off. Once landed, they could drive on to their destination. The car has a top speed of 200 km/h on the road.
The aircraft is based on 35 years of development led by Slovakian aviation expert Stefan Klein. The first Aircar, launched in 2016, has already clocked 170 flight hours and more than 500 takeoffs and landings. It received a certificate of airworthiness to fly in 2022.
Klein Vision already has pre-orders for the Aircar 2 and a “few interested potential clients,” said Zajac. The company recently unveiled the production prototype at the Living Legends of Aviation Gala Dinner in Beverly Hills. Guests at the event included Hollywood actors John Travolta and Morgan Freeman, astronaut Buzz Aldrin, and Prince Harry.
Klein Vision is already building the first production version of the AirCar 2 at its workshop in Slovakia. In September, the company plans to acquire an airworthiness certificate for the new model, which would allow it to make 100 units a year.
After that, Klein Vision aims to obtain the European Aviation Safety Agency’s CS-32 certificate, which would remove restrictions on production numbers.
Klein Vision, which has a team of only seven people, is completely bootstrapped. The first Aircar cost around $5mn to build. Most of that funding came from Zajac, who is a prominent tech investor. He indicated, however, that the company is “open” to external investment as it prepares to ramp up production of the new model.