Volkswagen's Jetsons-like hover car
The futurists of the 1950s and '60s promised us flying cars that have yet to arrive. Now, VW is at least steering us in the right direction
The video: While Google is getting a license for its self-driving Toyota Prius, Volkswagen is looking even further into the future, imagining a two-seat hover car, much like the vehicles that so many futuristic movies and TV shows disingenuously promised. The vehicle concept, unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show, is a product of VW's innovative "People's Car Project," a 2011 Chinese crowdsourcing design contest that drew 119,000 submissions. The disc-shaped vehicle would float above a special electromagnetic grid embedded in existing roads, gliding along using zero emissions and special sensors to avoid collisions. (Watch a charming video below, in Chinese.) Of course, the hover car doesn't exist in real life — at least not yet, says VW marketing director Luca de Meo.
The reaction: This is light years beyond personal transporters like the Segway, says Chris Weiss at Gizmag. And this hover car really "brings back childhood memories" with its snappy "mix of Back to the Future and The Jetsons." Maybe, says Jamie Frevele at The Mary Sue. But you're telling me Google's driverless car "got a driver's license before we even got to drive a flying car. Life is so unfair. Stupid science." See what you're missing:
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The teenage 'maths prodigy' who turned out to be a cheat
Under The Radar Jiang Ping defied expectations in a global competition but something wasn't right
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Puppet shows, pagodas and pho: a guide to Hanoi
The Week Recommends Vietnam's capital city blends the ancient with the new
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
'There are benefits, but not acknowledging them would tell only half of the story'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published