India is expected to get its first flying car PAL-V in 2021. The car has already been launched in some of the international markets. The production model was first publicly shown at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland in 2018. With a target to commence production at its manufacturing plant in Gujarat by 2021, PAL-V will be available in two variants namely Liberty Sport and Liberty Pioneer edition. The Liberty Sport version is expected to be priced at Rs 2.6 Crores and the Liberty Pioneer Edition is expected to be priced at Rs 3.9 Crores.
This two-seater flying car will be powered by two engines producing 99 bhp in the drive mode and 200 bhp in the flying mode. It will run at a speed of 160 kmph on-road while flying at a speed of 180 kmph. Designed in collaboration with Italian design bureaus, PAL-V can turn into a flying vehicle in just three minutes along with covering a distance of 500 km on a full tank. It will require both a driver’s license and an autogiro pilot’s license for operating it.
For road usage, PAL-V Liberty offers a top speed of 160 kmph and 0-100 kmph acceleration of less than 9 seconds. In order to run the vehicle on the road, the propeller and rotor need to be stopped. This diverts the power to the wheels which allow it to operate as a three-wheeled car. After this, it needs a straight road of about 330 m to take-off.