AUDI, italdesign + airbus unveil hybrid 'pop.up next' concept

at the 2018 geneva motor show, AUDI, italdesign and airbus are presenting the ‘pop.up next’ concept — a hybrid vehicle that blends a self-driving car and passenger drone with an aim to solve traffic problems in cities. the all-electric, fully automatic concept promises horizontal and vertical mobility. in the distant future, the ‘pop.up next’ could transport people in cities quickly and conveniently both on the road and in the air.

‘pop.up next’ could transport people in cities quickly and conveniently both on the road and in the air

together with AUDI and airbus, italdesign developed ‘pop.up next’ with an ultra-light, two-seater passenger cabin, which can be attached either to a car or flight module. internally, the dominant feature is a 49-inch screen which engages humans and machine through speech and face recognition, eye-tracking and a touch functions. meanwhile, AUDI is supporting the project with its expertise in battery technology and automation. ‘creativity is needed where new mobility concepts for cities and people’s diverse needs are concerned,’ says dr. bernd martens, AUDI board member for procurement and president of italdesign. ‘pop.up next is an ambitious vision that could permanently change our urban life in the future.’

internally, the dominant feature is a 49-inch screen which connects humans and machine

italdesign is the company behind future-oriented vehicle concepts for AUDI and customers around the globe. ‘various players will define the rules of urban mobility in the future,’ says jörg astalosch, CEO of italdesign. ‘we are proud to collaborate with airbus, the leading company in the aerospace industry, to investigate solutions for future mobility.’ astalosch envisions ‘pop.up’ next’ as a flexible on-demand concept that could open up mobility in the third dimension to people in cities. while an early version of ‘pop.up’ was premiered at the 2017 geneva motor show, the ‘next’ edition is significantly lighter than its predecessor and boats a completely redesigned interior scheme.

‘pop.up next’ provides an ultra-light, two-seater passenger cabin