Last year at Geneva time, we reported that Airbus and ItalDesign were co-developing a rather revolutionary flying car concept, which was based on wheeled pods that could be picked up by flying drones. The drones themselves land and take off vertically, which has been a major part of most every flying taxi concept imagined recently. Now, the Pop.Up concept has been developed further, with Audi stepping in; the concept now bears the name Pop.Up Next.
The idea is simple: the pods ride on a skateboard-like EV structure on the ground. When there's enough traffic congestion, a drone comes to get the pod and whisks it away to its desired destination. The occupants are kept up-to-date with a full-width dashboard screen.
Audi's involvement in the project results in a concept vehicle bearing a reworked design, which is in keeping with the current, sharp Audi design language. However, it's not just a rebranding exercise, as the pod has shed "a significant" amount of weight, and the interior has also been redesigned. The concept also differs from the other Airbus flying taxi development, the Vahana, in that it's designed for two passengers whereas the Vahana is currently single-passenger only.
When will we see something like this in actual production? Well, that's up for debate – while the Next seen here is certainly a step closer than the initial Pop.Up, let's just say that you probably shouldn't hold your breath. Check out the gallery for more.
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