News update: October 11th 2023
Suzuki goes all in on flying cars, VoltAero starts assembly plant for evtol, and more!
Starting out the news with lots of manufacturing. Things are ramping up folks. I believe we will be seeing evtols and flying cars in our skies sooner than you think.
First up is Suzuki:
Suzuki Motor Corporation (hereinafter “Suzuki”) has concluded a Manufacturing Cooperation Contract with SkyDrive Inc. (headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture; Tomohiro Fukuzawa, CEO and Representative Director; hereinafter “SkyDrive”), for the manufacturing of “flying cars”.
SkyDrive has established a 100% owned subsidiary Sky Works Inc. (Nobuo Kishi, President) to manufacture "flying cars". The company will utilize a plant owned by the Suzuki Group in Iwata City, Shizuoka Prefecture, and aim to start the manufacturing of "SKYDRIVE (SD-05 type)" around spring of 2024.
Some deeper digging gave me this image of the Sky Works SD-05 and it’s pretty fancy
and some more digging gave me some info about the pretty important guy running Sky Works (unless it’s not in fact the same Nobuo Kishi)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobuo_Kishi
VoltAero has been making some waves and now is ready to get down to business with their new facility. Hopefully they spend more money on the facility than they did on their rendering of the facility.
From the horse’s mouth: https://www.voltaero.aero/en/press-releases/voltaero-cassio-final-assembly-facility-rochefort-france/
This 2,400-square-meter facility will serve as the build-up site and delivery center for VoltAero’s all-new product line of Cassio general aviation/regional aircraft. It positions VoltAero at a strategic location in southwest France with a dynamic economy and an established presence of industry – including the aviation sector.
The master plan incorporates the potential for VoltAero’s future growth of up to 7,400 square meters at Rochefort Airport, as well as enabling suppliers and service providers to develop their own presence as they support the Cassio production.
Sounds pretty massive. Good luck to them and may they hire a new art department.
Next up is Joby - investors seem really gaga about this flying car stock. Now they are starting tests with an ACTUAL pilot on board.
Four Joby pilots have completed flights on board the electric air taxi; Flights took place at Joby’s production facility in Marina, CA; Flying with pilot on board marks critical step on company’s journey to commercial operations.
Go Joby! https://www.jobyaviation.com/news/joby-begins-flight-testing-pilot-on-board/