Alauda Aeronautics sets sights on making airborne vehicles a reality through high-speed competitions
Adelaide, Australia – Since the 1980s, inventors have promised to transform the sci-fi dream of flying cars seen in Back to the Future and The Jetsons into practical machines.
Major players like Toyota, Airbus, Hyundai, and Kitty Hawk—a venture backed by Google co-founder Larry Page—are all in the race to build the first commercially feasible Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) vehicle, tapping into a potential trillion-dollar market by 2040, as predicted by Morgan Stanley.
Yet despite years of effort, none of these companies have succeeded in bringing a flying car to market.
Now, an emerging VTOL manufacturer in Australia, Alauda Aeronautics, is tackling the challenge using a strategy reminiscent of the early days of the automotive industry.
Next year, the Adelaide-based firm plans to launch Airspeeder, the world’s first piloted flying car race, in the Australian outback—touted as the Formula 1 of the skies.
“The big issue is that others are trying to do everything at once—design vehicles, manufacture them, lobby for new regulations, and launch passenger services,” said Alauda’s founder Matt Pearson, who started the company in 2016. “Each of those steps is tough alone. Doing them simultaneously has proven impossible.”
Pearson’s vision draws heavily on automotive history—particularly the era from 1886, when Daimler Benz debuted the first car, to 1925, when Henry Ford slashed Model-T prices through mass production.
“What happened in that gap?” Pearson asked. “Automakers turned to racing. People like Henry Ford, Marcel Renault, Rolls Royce—even Tesla—got their start in motorsport.”
Over the past six years, Alauda has created 11 autonomous, electric VTOL aircraft, and recently introduced its first manned model: the Mk4.
This hydrogen-electric VTOL boasts a 1,300-horsepower engine and can reach 360 kilometers per hour (223 miles per hour) in under 30 seconds—making it the fastest of its kind.
The Mk4 is set to debut in televised Airspeeder races from 2024, with Fox Sports Australia signed on as a broadcast partner.
“Each Mk4 currently costs millions, but the real cost lies in the engineering—not production,” Pearson said. “We believe one day they can be priced like a Tesla.”
Aerospace design expert Sonya Brown from the University of New South Wales said Alauda’s motorsport model could prove effective.
“Formula 1 has influenced consumer vehicle design in meaningful ways,” she told Al Jazeera. “That said, it’s one of many strategies. Companies working on air taxis or governments developing air ambulances are taking other paths. The diversity of approaches highlights how transformative this tech could become.”
Uber entered the air mobility race in 2017 with Elevate, a joint venture with Bell Helicopters, aimed at developing an app-based flying taxi network.
Bell Helicopter CEO Mitch Snyder called it a “game-changer,” promising Los Angeles would see flying taxis by 2023.
Meanwhile, German firm Volocopter made headlines the same year by launching an autonomous two-seater in Dubai, claiming services would be operational by 2022.
Just last month, UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced that Dubai would roll out the world’s first flying taxi service by 2026.
Joby Aviation, one of three companies working with Dubai’s Road Transport Authority, expressed excitement in a statement. Volocopter, however, is no longer involved in the project.
Even former US President Donald Trump weighed in recently, advocating for significant investment in VTOL tech as part of his “Quantum Leap” vision to improve American life.
Alauda has already hosted two years of remote-controlled VTOL races in South Australia. So far, though, the events have remained under the radar, as the aircraft were piloted like drones from the ground.
The Mk4 introduces human pilots into the cockpit, unlocking new potential for sponsorships, media deals, and innovation, according to Pearson.
Still, experts warn that manned flying cars bring a new set of challenges.
“To fully realize this technology, you’d need hundreds flying at once—and that poses serious risks like mid-air collisions or system failures,” said Brown. “Unlike cars, aerial breakdowns are far more dangerous. We’d need extensive automation, dedicated air lanes, and advanced collision-avoidance systems since we can’t use traffic lights in the sky.”
Andrew Morris, a transport safety expert from the UK’s Loughborough University, agreed.
“Innovation through motorsport is valuable—but Formula One works only because of strict safety standards and rules,” he said. “Flying cars will need equally rigorous regulations—on who can fly, where they can operate, and how to manage reckless behavior. Think of the chaos jet skis can cause—now imagine that in the air.”
Morris warned that if flying cars become as accessible as regular vehicles, the consequences could be dire.
“Letting someone buy a flying car in the morning and fly it that afternoon? That could lead to disasters and kill the industry before it takes off.”
But Pearson, ever the visionary, remains unfazed.
“People are already good at following lanes—whether on the ground or in the sky,” he said. “Our flight interface already shows pilots the racetrack in real-time.”
“That’s why controlled racing is the perfect platform to refine this technology,” he added. “It’s a thrilling time to be in this space.”
