The world’s first flying bike was debuted on Thursday (Sept. 15, 2022) at the Detroit Auto Show, meaning someday soon we might ride drone-like vehicles instead of cars. The XTURISMO hoverbike is capable of flying for 40 minutes and reaching speeds of up to 100 km/h.

One of the first people to take a test drive was Thad Szott, co-chair of the Motor City auto show.

“I mean, it’s awesome! Of course, you have a little apprehension, but I was just so amped. I literally had goosebumps and feel like a little kid,” he said. Szott sees great potential for the XTURISMO in the future.

“I think we’ll start with delivering goods and services, maybe by drone. It’s ready for today’s world if you go airport to airport. But I’m anxious to see when we can go neighbourhood to neighbourhood. So, let’s get it worked out,” he said.

AERWINS Technologies, the Japanese start-up that created the flying motorcycle, first produced drones and unmanned aerial vehicles. A smaller version of the hoverbike will be offered in the US in 2023 for $777,000 (€775,400), and it is already for sale in Japan.

The CEO of the company, Shuhei Komatsu, told Reuters that the company plans to lower the price of a smaller electric vehicle to $50,000 (€49,890) by 2025. The showcased video can be found on Reuters.