Supernal, Hyundai Motor Group Air Taxi, Plans To Build A Factory In The United States

The automotive group from South Korea, Hyundai Motor Group, announced on Wednesday 8 November that their air taxi unit, Supernal, plans to build manufacturing facilities in the United States. This is to produce flying electric taxis for workers traveling.

"Prototypes from electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (EVTOL) will be featured on the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) which will be held in January in Las Vegas," Supernal Chief Executive Officer, Shin Jaiwon, said in an interview with Bloomberg.

Discover how Hyundai accelerates the New Economy through #SmartMobility Solutions as Jaiwon Shin, President of #HyundaiMotorGroup and CEO of #Supernal shares his vision for Advanced Air Mobility at the 2023 Bloomberg #NewEconomyForum ▶ https://t.co/bqzxjBe0iD@BBGNewEconomy pic.twitter.com/RhWl7dRb00

— Hyundai Motor Group (@HMGnewsroom) November 8, 2023

Discover how Hyundai accelerates the New Economy through #SmartMobility Solutions as Jaiwon Shin, President of #HyundaiMotorGroup and CEO of #Supernal shares his vision for Advanced Air Mobility at the 2023 Bloomberg #NewEconomyForum ▶ https://t.co/bqzxjBe0iD@BBGNewEconomy pic.twitter.com/RhWl7dRb00

Electric air taxi makers around the world have claimed themselves as clean alternatives to unravel congestion in cities. It also attracts investment from aviation industry players like Delta Air Lines Inc, although they are still far from commercial operations.

Shin said the EVTOL taxi will be capable of flying at a speed of 193 kph and has the capacity for a pilot and four passengers, with a test flight target in December 2024.

Hyundai Motor, Kia Corp, and Hyundai Mobis have jointly invested 1.2 trillion won (IDR 14.7 trillion) in Washington-based Supernal since its founding in 2021.

Last month, Hyundai Motor Group signed a deal with Korean Air Lines to work together to accelerate the design of electric EVTOL vehicles and the air mobility ecosystem in South Korea.