An animation has been released showcasing Volkswagen Group China’s vision for a private eVTOL that would be used for business and leisure transport between Chinese megacity clusters. Volkswagen Group China’s first eVTOL, the vehicle was designed in collaboration with tangerine, a UK design consultancy, and engineered in collaboration with Sunward, a Chinese general aviation manufacturer.
The first fully working prototype is testing flight, with further prototypes under development. Throughout the design process, tangerine has been working very closely with the Volkswagen design team and Sunward to make sure the fuselage design is aligned with the manufacturing processes and wind tunnel testing.
The style, format and layout of the eVTOL were heavily influenced by intensive user research with over 100 high-net-worth individuals across China. The eVTOL has eight fixed upward propellers and two rear forward propulsion propellers. The cabin is located under the wings with an aerodynamic shape ensuring passengers are far away from the propellers. It’s equipped with an aerodynamic skate that lifts the vehicle from the ground and supports passenger access to the cabin from the ground.
Well-known for its commercial aircraft designs, tangerine’s recent projects include Finnair’s new cabin interiors and lounges in Helsinki, Finland, and Japan Airlines’ flagship aircraft.
“It’s a privilege to be part of VW China’s first foray into vertical mobility,” says tangerine director Weiwei He. “It’s truly exciting that this project pushes beyond flashy concept designs to focus on the near delivery of working prototypes that are being tested in the air. The exterior is just a taster of what’s to come and we look forward to showcasing the interior design and total customer experience in the near future.”
Images: tangerine/VW Group China
