CES is the place for crazy technology concepts, so it should come as no surprise that flying cars were on the menu this year. General Motors unveiled its plans for two new vehicles in the Cadillac Halo portfolio: an autonomous taxi and an electric flying vehicle.
Cadillac eVTOL
Cadillac’s electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle concept showcases a single-seat personal drone. The vehicle can travel at 90km per hour and uses a 90kW electric motor to powers its four rotors.
Viewers were asked to envision stepping into the Cadillac eVTOL to make a meeting across town, with the drone taking you personally from rooftop to rooftop. The vehicles are completely autonomous and will meet and drop passengers to the landing port closest to their destination. They basically function as an air taxi.
Michael Simcoe, VP of Global Design at GM, described the concept as “GM’s first foray into aerial mobility.”
The eVTOL is just a concept at this stage with no indication of if or when it will go into production. You can see the design at GM’s virtual exhibit.
Cadillac Autonomous Vehicle
The other concept vehicle shown off during the presentation was Cadillac’s autonomous vehicle. The vehicle is designed as a shuttle or taxi with a focus on building a social space for passengers to spend time together while travelling.
Some of the AV’s features include a vertical light signature and an expansive glass roof. GM’s website also revealed that the vehicle will use an AI-controlled biometric user interface and passengers will be able to adjust the lights, scent and air humidity of the cabin through voice and gestures.
The focus for this Cadillac concept, which should come as no surprise, is luxury. The interior of the vehicle features a white leather lounge suite, giving off very Westworld season 3 vibes.
It seems that both the vehicle concepts from GM are designed for passengers to hire the vehicles as needed rather than own them, pushing us further into a future where personal vehicles aren’t a necessity.