In 2020, the South Korean multinational Hyundai Motor Group announced its intention to enter the nascent advanced air mobility market to the world with the unveiling of its S-A1 eVTOL air taxi concept design. Over the subsequent years, Hyundai Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and its dedicated eVTOL subsidiary, the U.S.-based Supernal, continued to develop and refine the fundamentals of the platform’s design. In January 2024, these efforts culminated in revealing the concept’s latest iteration, designated the S-A2, at the annual CES Technology Exposition held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The S-A2 features eight tilting rotors and a V-tail airframe configuration. The propulsion for the platform will be fully electric to meet the initiative’s sustainable aviation goals. According to company statements, the design’s open modular elements will contribute to the rationalization of traditional fleet maintenance pressures and future-proof the platform by facilitating its capacity to be adapted to new requirements and integrated with new technologies and components. Hyundai and Supernal report that the platform is intended to possess a 120mph cruising speed with an altitude target of 1,500 feet. The S-A2 will be capable of hosting four passengers, in addition to its human pilot. Hyundai hopes to introduce the S-A2 onto the market by 2028.
