It’s A Bird, It’s A Plane, It’s The ‘XTURISMO’ Flying Bike!

The world’s first flying bike is here and it will cost you US$682,000. Meet the XTURISMO, a new flying machine from Japan-based A.L.I. Technologies.

A couple of decades ago, ‘flying cars‘ and ‘hoverbikes’ were common terms in fantasy conversations about futurism and innovation. Today, it almost seems like the next big step for the industry, and it’s already here. Straight out of a sci-fi movie, the next leap for the automotive industry is getting those wheels off the ground. A highly daunting task yet a cornerstone in automotive mobility. However, as it may appear, there seems to be a Jap who might have pulled off the trick. Meet A.L.I Tech and their new ‘Xturismo Limited Edition’ hoverbike, readying for lift-off in the coming years.

Powering the hover are four electric motors and an internal combustion engine that runs on petrol. Upon close inspection, you’ll see it uses six blades to lift off and navigate — with two larger blades, front and back, and two on each side. It promises to fly for 40 minutes at up to 100-kmh. While the maximum speed of the hoverbike hasn’t been disclosed, 100 seems to be the economic speed to fly at, according to the brand. In terms of dimensions, it stretches 3.7 metres in length, 2.4 metres wide, and 1.5 metres in height. Unfortunately, it offers only a single-seating set-up, limiting the fun. All in all, the XTURISMO flying bike weighs about 300 kgs.

“It is expected that air mobility will expand in the future, but first of all, it is expected to be used in circuits, mountainous areas, at sea, and in times of disaster. I am happy to introduce it as the first step of the XTURISMO that is being done and as one of the new lifestyles,” stated Daisuke Katano, President and CEO of ALI Technologies.

While you can pre-book yourself an XTURISMO Limited Edition today for  77.7 million yen, deliveries will begin next year. Only 200 of these hoverbikes will be produced with this run. The company aims to bring out a fully electric hoverbike by 2025 too.

All images: Courtesy brand

This story first appeared in Lifestyle Asia India.