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Airbus Pop.Up drone car concept is like nothing else... anywhere

Imagine a car that can be picked up by a giant drone and flown over traffic. Airbus just built it, at least in concept form.

Andrew Lanxon headshot
Andrew Lanxon headshot
Andrew Lanxon
airbus-italdesign-pop-up-drone-car-concept-geneva-2.jpg
1 of 14 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Imagine a taxi that can automatically switch between the road and the sky to get you to your destination in the fastest, most efficient way possible. This concept from Airbus and Italdesign is just that.

It drives completely autonomously. When it needs to take to the air, it'll stop at a changing station, where it will ditch its wheelbase, attach a massive drone to its roof and off it'll go through the air. It'll simply do the same thing in reverse when it lands, driving you to your final point.

It's a long way off being a reality, but Airbus hopes to have a proper working concept within ten years.

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2 of 14 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

The car itself looks a little reminiscent of a Smart car. It's really just the pod that matters, as the whole wheelbase is left behind when you fly.

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3 of 14 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

The drone is a four-rotor beast -- kind of like a DJI Phantom, only much much bigger.

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4 of 14 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Would you clamber inside?

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5 of 14 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

As you don't drive, there are no controls. Instead, you see this massive screen that gives you details about your journey.

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6 of 14 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

The seats look reasonably comfy.

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7 of 14 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

"Hop in, kids, we're off to the future!"

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8 of 14 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

The pod has a giant windscreen to give you the best view of the city from above.

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9 of 14 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

It's polite, at least.

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10 of 14 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

You'll see plenty of details about your journey while on board.

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11 of 14 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

The battery has 70 percent remaining apparently. It doesn't say if that's enough to last the whole journey. Fingers crossed.

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12 of 14 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

The screen will apparently tell you when you're in flight mode -- just in case the city whizzing past below you isn't enough of a clue.

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13 of 14 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

You can see your contacts and can even decide to pick them up on the way. Hopefully you could also try and aim a custard pie at them from above.

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14 of 14 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Of course there'll be all kinds of multimedia options to keep you entertained.

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