Mashable: Flying cars are not far from becoming a reality

Flying cars in the United Arab Emirates are not that far from becoming a reality.

The United Arab Emirates could soon be the first to host the first flying car race in the world.

As the Emirates is gearing up to host the largest autonomous car racing in the world in April next year, residents could also get to watch the first flying car championship in the world soon.

In an interview with Khaleej Times, the chief executive of Maca Flight, Christian Pineau, revealed their goal to create a real flying racing car championship with the United Arab Emirates being one of the potential candidates to host the flying car championship. The French company, Maca Flight is the producer of the first hydrogen-powered flying racing car.

Maca Flight is currently operating independently after it was separated from the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus. The company reportedly unveiled its flying racing car at CES 2023 earlier this year.

Last month, during the Gitex Technology exhibition in Dubai, it was revealed that Abu Dhabi will be hosting autonomous vehicle racing for the first time on April 28, 2024. The championship will see around 10 institutions participating.

The upcoming race is said to be the largest racing of autonomous cars in the world where coders instead of drivers will compete at Yas Marina’s Formula 1 racing track in Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, Maca Flight has partnered with Red Bull to take the project to the next level.

“If everything goes fine,” Pineau said teasing that a flying racing car championship could be possible by the end of 2025. “The first race might be here in Dubai or the UAE,” he said adding Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, as well as Bahrain have shown interest in the project.

The flying racing car by Maca Flight is set to be priced at $2 million which is Dh7.34 million. It has a maximum speed of 250 kilometers per hour and zero CO2 emission. It is a single-seater car that will fly just 4-5 meters above the ground level giving spectators a good view during the championship.