TURIN -- Italdesign and aircraft manufacturer Airbus are working on a futuristic car whose upper body can be airlifted by a drone and flown above traffic congestion, sources said.
Italdesign will debut a concept for the vehicle at the Geneva auto show on Tuesday, according to people familiar with the matter.
The concept will be for a two-stage car that would cruise city streets. The passenger would sit in a capsule on top of a self-driving chassis. If the vehicle hits traffic congestion, a large drone measuring roughly 5 meters by 5 meters would pick up the capsule and fly it to a destination.
Italdesign first developed a car with an upper body and chassis that could separate with the Capsula concept unveiled at the 1982 Turin auto show. The Capsula had an Alfa Romeo chassis with a cabin on top. There were different upper cabins such as a passenger car, a commercial van or a minibus which could be switched according to what was needed.
