Suzuki to help SkyDrive manufacture eVTOL

SkyDrive and Suzuki have agreed a deal which will see the Japanese automotive giant help SkyDrive manufacture its eVTOL.

The agreement, signed at the Paris Air Show last week, will see SkyDrive launch a wholly owned subsidiary to manufacture its three-seat eVTOL aircraft, known as SkyDrive.

The subsidiary will use a Suzuki production facility in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and begin building the aircraft by spring of 2024. More specific terms and conditions will be agreed upon through ongoing discussions.

At Suzuki, all manufacturing activities are based on a concept, ‘Smaller, Fewer, Lighter, Shorter, and Neater’ and SkyDrive is developing lightweight air mobilities, said Tomohiro Fukuzawa, SkyDrive CEO. “Suzuki and SkyDrive have been collaborating since March 2022 and we are very excited that SkyDrive will utilise the production facility of Suzuki to build our eVTOL ‘SKYDRIVE.’ In our pursuit to consistently manufacture safe and high-quality aircraft for the world, we are grateful for the valuable know-how we will learn from Suzuki, a global leader in automobile mass production. Suzuki and SkyDrive will work closely towards the shared goal,” said Fukuzawa.

Toshihiro Suzuki, Suzuki Motor Corporation president, added: “We are excited to cooperate with SkyDrive as we ambitiously work towards creating valuable products that contribute to the realisation of a world where people use the sky for their daily transportations.”