First flying car in the world about to go on sale

The first flying car in the world is getting closer to its beginnings.

According to company spokeswoman Danielle Kershner, Terrafugia is taking orders for the Transition presale, a two-seater "road" aircraft that can switch between driving and flying modes in less than a minute.

Chinese news agency Xinhua reported earlier this week that Terrafugia was planning to open presales by October. Terrafugia had previously announced that deliveries would begin in 2019. Prices still have to be announced.

Terrafugia's general manager, Chris Jaran, also told Xinhua that another company concept car, the TF-2, will be unveiled next month.

Transition Terrafugia (Terrafugia)

According to Terrafugia, the transition is designed to travel at speeds up to 100 km / h and a boost mode will provide a "brief boost of extra power during flight". On the road, the flying car is powered by a hybrid engine.

Terrafugia was founded in 2006 by graduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was later acquired in 2017 by Volvo parent company, Chinese manufacturer Geely. The Massachusetts-based company announced in July that it would begin production of the Transition next year.

In April, Terrafugia announced that it had created 75 new jobs in the United States in the last 12 months and that it planned to hire at least 50 more employees by the end of 2018, while is preparing to market the transition. Terrafugia today employs more than 200 people worldwide.

Terrafugia is not the only company to develop a flying car. Aston Martin unveiled the Volante Vision Concept, an autonomous hybrid electric vehicle that can take off and land vertically at the Farnborough Air Show in July. Kitty Hawk, a start-up backed by Google co-founder Larry Page, has begun making pre-orders for a single-seat recreational model. Other companies working on flying cars include Airbus, Uber and the Rolls-Royce jet engine manufacturer.