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Flying Bike XTurismo Makes Spectacular Debut as “Land Speeder for the Dark Side”

The future of urban mobility will have to take into account the most pressing problems of today. As such, the future of urban mobility will be electric, airborne, more efficient, and eventually affordable.
The XTurismo hoverbike takes flight at NAIAS 2022 9 photos
Photo: YouTube / WXYZ-TV Detroit / Channel 7
Xturismo hoverbike makes first public flight demo as pre-order books open, at $680,000 a popXturismo hoverbike makes first public flight demo as pre-order books open, at $680,000 a popXturismo hoverbike makes first public flight demo as pre-order books open, at $680,000 a popXturismo hoverbike makes first public flight demo as pre-order books open, at $680,000 a popXturismo hoverbike makes first public flight demo as pre-order books open, at $680,000 a popXturismo hoverbike makes first public flight demo as pre-order books open, at $680,000 a popXturismo hoverbike makes first public flight demo as pre-order books open, at $680,000 a popXturismo hoverbike makes first public flight demo as pre-order books open, at $680,000 a pop
Visitors at the 2022 edition of the Detroit Auto Show got a taste of that possible promising future, thanks to the XTurismo flying bike. Officially presented as a viable product in October 2021 and then introduced to the general public by means of a flying demo in Japan, the XTurismo is widely described as the future of urban mobility, a viable platform for the ideal vehicle with multiple functionalities.

For its first-ever U.S. appearance, XTurismo got a new but still fitting nickname: the “land speeder for the Dark Side.” The XTurismo is a hybrid-electric hoverbike that, for the time being, is neither road legal nor widely accessible because of its high price point, but it has incredible potential – and it is that potential that its presence at NAIAS 2022 (North American International Auto Show) wants to highlight.

“It's very exciting for us to be here in Detroit,” Shuhei Komatsu, founder, director, chairman and chief executive officer of AERWINS Technologies, told The Detroit News at the event. “Detroit is the home of the mobility industry.”

Xturismo hoverbike makes first public flight demo as pre\-order books open, at \$680,000 a pop
Photo: YouTube / Reuters / SCMP
AERWINS Technologies Inc. is a Delaware-based company that focuses on the development of technologies for air mobility; it is also the parent company of the Japanese A.L.I. Technologies Inc., which builds the XTurismo in Japan. The location is not coincidental since these types of VTOLs (vertical takeoff landing aircraft) are not considered aircraft here, so they don't require a special license to operate.

But Komatsu hopes to bring the XTurismo to the United States as well, and soon: he told the media at the event that an early 2023 release is possible, but with a much smaller hoverbike than the one now offered for pre-orders as a special edition. Two years after that, in 2025, Komatsu hopes to bring the price point down as well, to an accessible $50,000 for the basic configuration.

That last part is very significant because right now, the XTurismo is selling for upwards of $770,000, so it is exclusively a rich man (or woman)’s toy. Regulation for EVTOLs is also non-existent, so that means it can only be used on private property and on the race track, but Komatsu believes wide adoption is coming. The XTurismo isn’t just a toy to have some fun on and could serve as an emergency-response vehicle or even patrol vehicle, thus helping local authorities reach otherwise unreachable destinations in a more efficient and timely manner.

To further drive that message home, several lucky members of the public, including Show president Thad Szott, got the chance to ride the XTurismo for a public demo at the Coleman A. Young International Airport. Both the official flight demonstration and Szott’s subsequent test ride are shown in the videos below: they were very short, and the riders (or pilots, it’s your choice which term you use) did not have control over the hoverbike, but they were successful.

Xturismo hoverbike makes first public flight demo as pre\-order books open, at \$680,000 a pop
Photo: A.L.I. Technologies
That the future seems promising could be a logical conclusion after this appearance in Detroit. With city streets getting more congested and the daily commute becoming an ordeal for everyone, it’s only natural to look up to the sky for new alternatives for faster, less stressful, and less polluting means of travel.

The XTurismo is a gasoline-electric hoverbike powered by a Kawasaki hybrid engine, with two primary propellers, and four secondary ones that act as stabilizers. It is very loud, but the company hopes to come up with a noise-reduction solution by the time it goes into full production. Made with plenty of carbon fiber parts, the XTurismo is 3.7 meters (146 inches) long, 2.4 meters (94.5 inches) wide, and 1.5 meters (59 inches) tall, and can stay airborne for 30 to 40 minutes at speeds of maximum 60 mph (97 kph). The hoverbike itself weighs 300 kg (661 pounds) and has a max payload of 100 kg (220.5 pounds).

The current plan is to deliver the 200 Limited-Edition XTurismo in 2022 and then start working on mass production as costs go down. Hopefully, current legislation and regulations on VTOLs will catch up by the time this flying bike gets to that milestone.

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Editor's note: Photos in the gallery are from the 2021 demo flight in Japan and official renders.

About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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