Italdesign and Airbus partner with Audi for car-and-drone concept

Design firm Italdesign and Airbus have partnered with car manufacturer Audi to develop the Pop.Up.Next – an updated prototype of the partnership’s fully-electric automobile and Vtol concept.

A model of the flying-car design was presented at the Geneva Motor Show on 8 March, marking the first time a prototype of the vehicle has been on display to the public.

Italdesign and Airbus teased the Pop.Up concept at the show last year and have brought Audi on board to brand the two-seater car-and-drone model and to help develop the battery.

The model features a number of updates compared to the original concept, including automated driving, speech and face recognition, eye-tracking and a touch function.

“Creativity is needed where new mobility concepts for cities and people’s diverse needs are concerned. Italdesign is an incubator for innovative technologies and radical prototyping. Pop.Up Next is an ambitious vision that could permanently change our urban life in the future,” says Dr. Bernd Martens, Audi Board Member for Procurement and President of Italdesign.

Airbus is putting its full weight behind the city Vtol, having developed its own passenger drone and a parcel-delivery drone – as well as co-developing the Pop.UP.Next. The French aircraft manufacturer flew both of these drones for the first time last month.