Aston Martin Offers Luxury In The Sky With Volante Vision Concept

This is the Volante Vision Concept by Aston Martin. Previewed this week at the Farnborough Airshow, it isn’t quite the marque’s usual luxury sports car or grand tourer. Rather, this is Aston Martin's vision for an autonomous flying machine to be produced in the near future. The idea is for this three-seater craft to bring “fast, efficient and congestion free luxurious travel”. The marque sees the Volante Vision as the ideal transport for urban and inter-city commutes.

“With the population in urban areas continuing to grow, congestion in towns and cities will become increasingly demanding,” explains Aston Martin president and chief executive Dr Andy Palmer. “We need to look at alternative solutions to reduce congestion, cut pollution and improve mobility. Air travel will be a crucial part in the future of transportation,” he adds.

Created in partnership with Cranfield University, Cranfield Aerospace Solutions and Rolls-Royce engineering, the concept aircraft will be hybrid-powered and with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities in mind.

It also retains the essential Aston Martin visual theme - albeit adapted for futuristic air travel. The front aerofoil, for instance, is a nod to the Valkyrie hypercar splinter and the outline takes from the contemporary Aston Martin grille. “We have used forms and proportions that express the same devotion to design, engineering and beauty that shape our cars,” says design director Marek Reichman.

Lately, Aston Martin has been dipping its toes in the wider world of luxury - fashion and lifestyle, nautical, even property. Reichman says, “We are at the beginning of a new generation of urban transportation, vertical mobility is no longer a fantasy. We have a unique chance to create a luxury concept aircraft that will represent the ultimate fusion of art and technology.”