![]() Inspired by the mythical winged horse Pegasus, the AeroMobil is the high-end vehicle species equally at home. So what do you think? Would you sign up for the VW hover car? What’s your idea for future transport? E3 Spark Plugs wants to hear your thoughts. The evolution of the supercar is the AeroMobil. “We are no longer just building cars for, but also with customers and at the same time initiating a national dialog which gives us a deep insight into the design preferences, needs and requirements of Chinese customers,” said Volkswagen Director of Marketing Luca de Meo. The concept was unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show along with a few other finalists – notably a “Music Car” that changes colors with the driver’s musical choices, and the “Smart Key,” a smartphone that can start your car’s engine. The initiative debuted in China last year and thus far, has prompted upwards of 33 million website visitors to submit 119,000 ideas. Volkswagen’s hover car concept is the brainstorm of an apparently as-yet-unnamed girl (we figure she hasn’t been publicly identified because she’s a minor, or shy, or because Volkswagen is protecting its intellectual property or because we just can’t read Chinese) who responded to a crowd-sourcing call for ideas. Rear-mounted thrusters would propel the car forward. The hubcaps then become thrust-capable engines, propelling the vehicle upwards. Real-life implantation would require electromagnetic mineral strips embedded in the roads below it, creating the hovering effect. This is a sci-fi trope in which a wheeled vehicle of some kind is capable of flying or hovering by simply rotating the wheels 90 degrees, usually up and into the vehicle in question. So how does it work? The idea is based on electromagnetic suspension. Dashboard information, including speed, mileage and engine cues are displayed hologram-style. ![]() It’s operated by a center-mounted joystick. The concept is vividly illustrated in a recently released video featuring a simulated cruise through Beijing in a wheel-shaped, two-seater pod floating several feet above the road’s surface. In a Marty-McFly-Goes-to-China moment, Volkswagen and China’s “The People’s Project” have debuted what might bring us closer than ever to that flying DeLorean we’ve all secretly pined for since the first installment of Back to the Future – that is, if it ever sees reality. ![]() Volkswagen's hover car would work via electromagnetic suspension. ![]()
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