Stuck in traffic? Just fly away (some day)

Italian automaker reveals flying machine
Italian automaker reveals flying machine

The Geneva Motor Show is famous for showcasing dazzling supercars, like the Italdesign vehicle so special that only five will be created in 2017.

The car's V10 engines will rocket the car to 60 mph in a little over three seconds.

Italdesign unveiled something else on Wednesday that really flies. As in, really, it flies.

It's a concept vehicle developed in co-operation with European airplane manufacturer Airbus (EADSF). It looks a bit like a Smart car. The design resembles a ball riding on a four-wheeled chassis.

Then there's a separate giant drone. If the car gets stuck in heavy traffic, the drone arrives overhead, can fly down, attach itself to the roof of the car, and pick up the ball-shaped passenger compartment.

Related: Airbus offers a peek at its flying taxi

The car's autonomously driven chassis can then poke its way along to a charging station while the passengers, now riding in an autonomously driven helicopter, fly off to their destination.

2017 geneva motor show

"Adding the third dimension to seamless multi-modal transportation networks will without a doubt improve the way we live and how we get from A to B," said Mathias Thomsen, general manager for Urban Air Mobility at Airbus

The idea is the vehicles will be shared by users. They would be summoned by an Uber-like app and would be intelligent enough to decide when it's more beneficial to drive or fly from one place to another. The cars and giant drones would roam about on their own picking up people and dropping them off as needed.

Both companies say they are currently working to make these vehicles a reality.

Italdesign is part of the Volkswagen Group (VLKAY).

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