‘Flying car’ successfully tested by Toyota Motor Startup, bringing automaker closer to nearly 80-year-old dream

A startup from Toyota Motor Corp. has successfully completed the first domestic flight of its ‘flying car’, Toyota has announced.

Toyota aims to begin commercial operation of the car in the Middle East and other regions as early as 2025, with plans for demonstration flights at the Osaka-Kansai Expo.

The first flight in Japan, operated by US-based startup Joby Aviation, Inc., took place in late October at the Toyota Technical Center Higashi-Fuji in Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture. The test vehicle was shown to the press at the research facility on Saturday, the day the flight’s success was announced.

The aircraft is approximately 6 meters long and 12 meters wide, with a total capacity for five people, including crew and passengers. During the flight at an altitude of 500 meters, the noise level is reported to be 45 decibels, which is quieter than a normal car (70 decibels) or human conversation (60 decibels).

Proceedings are underway to obtain the type certification required for commercial operation from aviation authorities in the United States, Japan, Europe and elsewhere.

Toyota’s interest in air mobility dates back to 1943, when its founder, Kiichiro Toyoda, created a prototype helicopter. So far, Toyota has invested about $900 million (about ¥130 billion) in Joby and supported its development by sending dozens of executives and engineers.

At the event on Saturday, Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda held one of the propeller blades used on the plane and said: “With this technology, it only takes 25 minutes to travel from central Tokyo to Higashi-Fuji, making it a daily life changes.”