Geely-backed Terrafugia starts receiving orders of Transition flying car

 Flying car developer Terrafugia, which is owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, has started taking orders for the Transition, its first flying car model, according to relevant reports.

The deliveries of the Transition flying car are expected to commence in 2019. The vehicle will only be sold in the U.S. at the early stage, while the price has not been unveiled yet.

Terrafugia says the Transition will be able to switch from driving to flying mode within less than one minute. Featuring foldable wings, the flying car will be powered by a four-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine that makes the vehicle fly at the speed up to 160km per hour. In addition, a hybrid power system will be activated when the vehicle runs on the ground.

In October, the fly car developer is going to unveil its second model, which reportedly sports the vertical take-off and landing technology. The model is expected to hit the market in 2025.

The Massachusetts-headquartered company was acquired by China's Geely last year. It started to work on flying cars in 2006 and successfully let the Transition prototype fly to sky in 2009.

Terrafugia is not alone in building flying cars. Audi and Airbus showcased a flying car concept based on an ultralight, two-seater passenger cabin that can be installed in a car or a drone. Moreover, Volocopter, a German startup backed by Daimler and Intel, has created an electric helicopter that is able to carry passengers overhead. The company is set to begin the first commercial trip for the vehicle over the next three to five years.