Japanese flying car hovers for a minute during test flight

Japanese electronics manufacturer NEC Corporation unveiled a prototype flying car that stayed in the air for almost a minute during a test in Japan this week.

About the size of an autorickshaw and equipped with four horizontal propellers, the drone-like prototype reached a height of 3 meters (10 feet) during the test in Chiba, east of Tokyo, on Monday.

The flying car is designed to make deliveries on unmanned flights, NEC officials said.

The Japanese government aims to start commercializing flying vehicles from around 2023, beginning with the transport of goods, and expanding to moving people closer to 2030.