Cadillac's eVTOL is an electric, autonomous personal air taxi

General Motors' CES 2021 virtual presentation was full of surprises, perhaps none more unexpected than this Cadillac-branded electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) autonomous air taxi.

Not exactly a flying car (it doesn't drive on the ground), this battery-powered, four-rotor aircraft is designed for interurban mobility.

Effectively a personal air taxi or drone for one, GM says the vehicle is powered by a 90-kW electric motor.

GM's new Ultium batteries, motors and power electronics that it will deploy on a huge range of electric cars, trucks and SUVs may apparently also have a future in the air.

GM isn't committing to production -- let alone citing a timeframe when we might be able to see one of these eVTOLs hop-scotching around the world's cities, but it's apparently already hard at work on the project.

GM isn't the only automaker pursuing personal electric flight. In fact, it wasn't even the only automaker to make an announcement regarding flying taxis the same day.

Other companies, including Hyundai and Aston Martin, have already announced their intention to get into the eVTOL business.