Hyundai Motor Group’s U.S.-based urban air mobility (UAM) subsidiary, Supernal, is actively exploring plans to establish a factory in the United States for the production of flying taxis.
According to Hyundai Motor Group on Nov. 8, Shin Jai-won, the CEO of Supernal, stated at a foreign press forum held in Singapore, “We plan to unveil a prototype of our electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft at CES in Las Vegas to be held in January next year.” He also mentioned plans to construct an electric flying taxi manufacturing facility in the United States.
The eVTOL taxi can fly at a speed of 190 kilometers per hour and has the capacity to carry one pilot and four passengers. CEO Shin has outlined a goal of conducting test flights by December 2024 with plans to commence commercial services four years thereafter.
Hyundai Motor Group already operates automotive production facilities in Alabama in the United States, and Kia also has a plant in Georgia. However, CEO Shin has not disclosed specific details regarding the investment size, location, or other concrete information about the Supernal factory.
Since its establishment in 2021, Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, and Hyundai Mobis have invested approximately 1.2 trillion won (around US$920 million) in Supernal. In July, Supernal opened its engineering headquarters in Irvine, California, and in September it inaugurated a research and development facility in Fremont. The company now employs approximately 600 staff, including former employees from Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Tesla.