tangerine designs eVTOL in collaboration with Volkswagen Group China
28.06.2022. Today Volkswagen Group China releases its first eVTOL, designed in collaboration with UK design consultancy tangerine and engineered in collaboration with Chinese general aviation manufacturer Sunward.
An animation demonstrates Volkswagen Group China’s vision for a private eVTOL that will serve the Chinese customers travelling between Chinese megacity clusters for business and leisure.
The first fully working prototype is testing flight, with further prototypes under development. Throughout the design process, tangerine has been working very closely with the Volkswagen design team and Sunward to make sure the fuselage design is aligned with the manufacturing processes and wind tunnel testing.
The style, format, and layout of the eVTOL were heavily influenced by intensive user research with over a hundred high-net-worth individuals across China. The eVTOL has eight fixed upward propellers and two rear forward propulsion propellers. The cabin is located under the wings with an aerodynamic shape ensuring passengers are far away from the propellers. It’s equipped with an aerodynamic skate that lifts the vehicle from the ground and supports passenger access to the cabin from the ground.
tangerine is well known for its commercial aircraft design with recent projects including Finnair’s new cabin interiors and lounges in Helsinki and Japan Airlines’ flagship aircraft. Their deep experience in designing luxury spaces and exceptional passenger experiences won the trust of VW Group China to form the partnership.
“It’s a privilege to be part of VW China’s first foray into vertical mobility,” says tangerine Director Weiwei He. “It’s truly exciting that this project pushes beyond flashy concept designs to focus on the near delivery of working prototypes that are being tested in the air. The exterior is just a taster of what’s to come and we look forward to showcasing the interior design and total customer experience in the near future.”
ENDS.
Press info
Interviews and media pack available at request from Laurie Bushe, Head of Marketing, mail@tangerine.net
About tangerine
Design consultancy tangerine was founded in 1989 and works across a multitude of sectors, helping businesses to make creative leaps to design innovative customer experiences. tangerine are pioneers in the design of mobility, famously introducing the World’s first fully lie-flat bed in business class for British Airways in 2000 and since working with many of the world’s leading transport operators, OEMs and service providers.
Their transportation clients include Asiana, Azul, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, CRRC Changchun, Gulf Air, Heathrow Express, Hyundai, KIA, Virgin Australia, Weima, Volkswagen, Talgo and Toyota.
tangerine has a deep history of working in China and their design for the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 High Speed train was recently launched in time for the Games.