Malaysia's Minister of Entrepreneur Development Datuk Seri Redzuan Md Yusof said the country's first flying car will be developed through the use of local technology. His comments came as world powers like China and the U.S. strive to gain authority in global technology.
Mohd Redzuan made his statements after the Growth Malaysia Initiative was launched on Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur, The Sun Daily reported. "This year is a realistic target because we have the technology. It is all about speed of implementation," he said.
Expected to be unveiled to the public sometime this year, Mohd Redzuan noted that investments for the prototype's development could reach an amount a little over 1 million Malaysian ringgit.
While the flying car project will require a significant amount of funding and time, Redzuan said it is a way for the government to encourage Malaysians to think beyond what the country's technology sector has to offer.
In his speech, Redzuan pointed out that Malaysia has the "skill set" to dominate the aerospace, national car, and drone sectors, adding that the flying car project will further utilize the country's technological strengths in the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) industry.
The initiative is spearheaded by Fave, a local online to offline platform operator that helps offline retailers in efforts to transition to the digital world of online marketing, data processing, payment systems, and reliable financial services.
The Malaysian minister also reiterated that the project will only seek advice or assistance from foreign parties in terms of "exchanging information over the car's safety," Channel News Asia reported. He also private companies can choose to utilize the prototype.
While Malaysia's flying car project could be similar to other initiatives previously announced by the government, Mohd Redzuan stressed that it is a separate project from that of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's car project vision, which seeks to develop a new national car for the Asian country.
Earlier last month, the Malay Mail predicted that the flying cars industry may soon progress into a global competition with Malaysia and other countries vying for advanced car prototypes in the coming years. The outlet said Uber and other start-ups are working on drones and flying vehicles that could carry people.
Japan has also reportedly gathered a number of tech volunteers to build a "Skydrive" flying car that is expected to be showcased during the 2020 Olympic games to be held in Tokyo. If completed in time, the car will be used to light the flame for the Olympics' opening ceremony.
