Slovak-based startup Klein Vision, which stunned the world with a certified flying car back in 2020, has now revealed its next leap: a production-ready AirCar. Showcased at the recent 22nd Living Legends of Aviation Gala in Beverly Hills, California, the two-seater flying craft isn’t a prototype in the usual sense.
With the event hosted by John Travolta and Morgan Freeman, with Buzz Aldrin and Prince Harry in attendance, Štefan Klein was among fellow industry veterans and royalty who watched nearly three decades of his work across five generations of prototypes come to life in a short documentary film. The likes of Emmy-award-winning filmmaker and former TopGear and The Grand Tour presenter, James May, have also praised the AirCar for its innovative approach. For his achievements, Klein received the Gala’s Special Recognition Award for Engineering Excellence.
With the wings deploying out from the fuselage and the tail section extending, the AirCar switches from road mode to flight mode in under two minutes. With a 280 horsepower engine and lightweight composite construction keeping it under 1,800 pounds, the AirCar can hit 124 mph on the ground and tops out at 155 mph in the sky, and has a 621-mile range. The certificate of airworthiness is backed up by 170 hours in the air and over 500 take-offs and landings. What also sets the AirCar apart from other light aircraft is that you don’t need specialised aviation fuel, making it accessible to a wider demographic.
Klein plans to launch sales in 2026, with prices expected somewhere between $800,000 to $1,000,000. A steep figure indeed, but for co-founder Anton Zajac, this represents the start of something bigger, with the global air mobility market projected to soar to $162 billion by 2034, and the AirCar is positioned to lead this space. If production can happen in the United States, it would allow Klein Vision to tap into the single largest market for light aircraft, globally. However, if you have something a bit more compact in mind, we recently reported on the single-seat Volonaut Airbike, which doesn’t use wings or rotors for propulsion.
Source: Klein Vision