Between the impressive DBS Superleggera and the downright outrageous Cygnet V8, Aston has been making some pretty big blips on our radar as of late. Now, we’ve got something else to ogle - it’s called the Volante Vision Concept, and it’s meant to “explore luxury personal air mobility” to fly you and yours to any urban or inter-city destination with ease.
Continue reading for the full story.
The Full Story
From the off, it’s important to note that this thing is little more than a good idea and a pretty rendering, and you can pretty much assume it won’t ever get made in real life. That said, we’re digging it all the same.
Aston came up with the concept working with partners from Cranfield University and Cranfield Aerospace Solutions, both of which are U.K.-based organizations that specialize in aerospace technology. Aston also worked with Rolls-Royce plc, which is a separate entity from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd, instead building jet engines for both civilian and military applications.
“We need to look at alternative solutions to reduce congestion, cut pollution and improve mobility,” said Aston’s CEO, Dr. Andy Palmer. “ Air travel will be a crucial part in the future of transportation, the Volante Vision Concept is the ultimate luxury mobility solution.”
Framed as a “near future study,” the Volante Vision Concept offers vertical take-off and landing capabilities, like a helicopter, which means you don’t need a runway to ride in one. Providing the go is a hybrid-electric powertrain from Rolls-Royce, which is also in myriad real-life applications, including ships and trains.
Most interesting is the incorporation of autonomous flight capability, which means all three passengers can just sit back and relax while the machine handles all the to-and-fro.
The goal is “to bring luxury personal transportation to the sky,” extending the range of the standard 1-hour commute and making it easier to get where you need by circumventing the usual ground-bound traffic and delays.
“The introduction of autonomous and electric propulsion technologies into new aircraft designs is both inevitable and challenging, and as the U.K.’s leading aircraft design and production SME we are excited to be playing this key role in the Volante Vision Concept and so to be at the vanguard of this revolution in aerospace,” said Cranfield Aerospace Solutions CEO Paul Hutton.
While the tech ideas are all enticing, the most tangible facet of the Volante Vision Concept is the way it looks. Indeed, it’s obvious this thing brings Aston’s highly celebrated styling chops into the skies - it looks absolutely wild, with an angular, geometric aesthetic that has us thinking intergalactic scout ship sent on a mission to help prep for in impending alien invasion. We love it.
Maybe Aston can use it for inspiration for its next supercar?
Further Reading
Read our full review on the 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera.
Read our full review on the 2018 Aston Martin Cygnet V8.
Read more Aston Martin news.