Hyundai, Kia showcase integrated air taxi service tech

Seoul: Hyundai Motor and Kia, South Korea's leading automotive companies, on Monday held a joint demonstration for their integrated air taxi service technology in Indonesia, the companies said.

The automakers said they held a public event to demonstrate their combined integrated advanced air mobility(AAM) technology at Samarinda Airport near Indonesia's new capital of Nusantara, reports Yonhap news agency.

The event was organised to showcase Hyundai and Kia's envisioned demand-responsive transport service, named Shucle, and related AAM services to fit the actual user environment.

It was attended by officials from the Indonesian transport ministry, the Nusantara Capital City Authority and representatives from the South Korean automakers. Attendees were given the chance to experience the Shucle service firsthand.

The flight demonstration was made using the Korea Aerospace Research Institute's air vehicle Oppav. Powered by Hyundai Motor Group's powertrain technology, Oppav flew approximately 2 kilometres along a predestined route.

With its vast land area covering over 18,000 islands, Indonesia is known as a country with high growth potential for the air taxi business due to the difficulty of developing road transportation.

Hyundai Motor Group has been cooperating with Indonesia's Nusantara Capital City Authority to establish a local AAM ecosystem.

The two sides are working on various initiatives, from developing plans to apply AAM within the new capital, to validating concepts for ground and air transportation, and conducting local demonstrations.