Porsche could build flying taxis, says sales chief

[March 03, 2018]    FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Volkswagen's <VOWG_p.DE> sports car maker Porsche could develop a flying passenger vehicle to compete with rivals in a possible market for urban air taxis and ride-sharing services, Porsche sales chief Detlev von Platen told a German magazine.

A Porsche logo is seen at a customers center next to the the Porsche factory in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, Germany, January 26, 2018. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski

"That would really make sense. If I drive from (the Porsche plant in) Zuffenhausen to Stuttgart airport, I need at least half an hour, if I'm lucky. Flying would take only three and a half minutes," Automobilwoche quoted von Platen as saying.

Porsche would join a raft of companies working on designs for flying cars in anticipation of a shift in the transport market away from conventional cars to self-driving vehicles shared via ride-hailing apps.

Volkswagen's auto designer Italdesign and Airbus <AIR.PA> at last year's Geneva auto show presented a two-seater flying car, called Pop.Up, designed to avoid gridlock on city roads.

The magazine said that under Porsche's plans, passengers would be able to have some control over the flying vehicle themselves but would not need a pilot license because many of the car's functions would be automated.

Potential competitors to a flying vehicle made by Porsche would be German start-ups Volocopter, backed by Daimler <DAIGn.DE>, Lilium Jet and eVolo, as well as U.S.-based Terrafugia and California-based Joby Aviation.

(Reporting by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Stephen Powell)

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