THEY CAN FLY General Motors’ futuristic Cadillac concepts, an electric shuttle and an autonomous vertical takeoff and landing drone, may soon become reality for over-the-rooftops travel in cities. —REUTERS
DETROIT — General Motors Co. (GM) on Tuesday presented a futuristic flying Cadillac—a self-driving vehicle that takes off and lands vertically and carries the passenger above the streets and through the air.
A senior GM executive described the concept as “reimagining the future of personal transportation.”
The single-passenger Cadillac—technically, a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone—will be able to travel from urban rooftop to urban rooftop at speeds up to 88 kilometers per hour.
All-electric
It is fully autonomous and all-electric, with a 90-kilowatt motor, a GM Ultium battery pack and an ultralightweight body with four pairs of rotors.
The flying Cadillac was presented in a video as part of a virtual keynote presentation by GM chief executive Mary Barra, along with a family-friendly Cadillac electric shuttle.
Barra last year disclosed the automaker was exploring such alternative transportation modes as aerial taxis.
The concepts in the CES video were introduced by GM design chief Mike Simcoe, who described the VTOL as “the Cadillac of urban air mobility.”
“VTOL is key to GM’s vision for a multimodal future,” he said.
The autonomous Cadillac shuttle, described in the video as “arriving soon,” features a boxy silhouette that recalls the Cruise Origin, also designed by Simcoe’s team. It features fore and aft sliding doors and a panoramic glass roof.
Lounge-like seating
The cabin has wraparound lounge-like seating, plus biometric sensors, voice control and hand gesture recognition.
GM declined to disclose further details.
Other automakers, including Toyota Motor, Hyundai Motor and Geely Automobile, have previously shown concept aerial vehicles as part of their future planning.