By Kazuki Sato / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

Major Japanese trading house Marubeni Corp. is planning to conduct a test flight of a "flying car" in Japan as early as this autumn, according to sources.

Marubeni will use an electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle (eVTOL) of U.K.-based Vertical Aerospace Ltd. It would be the first time for the company to conduct a test flight of the vehicle in Japan. Marubeni has formed a business partnership with Vertical Aerospace on operating eVTOLs, which are regarded as a next-generation form of transport.

Soracle Corp., a joint venture established by Japan Airlines Co. and Sumitomo Corp., another major trading house, is planning a test flight of an eVTOL of U.S.-based Archer Aviation Inc. Soracle plans to conduct a test flight in Osaka Prefecture this year, which would be the first such flight by the company in Japan.

Marubeni and Soracle both abandoned plans to conduct demonstration flights at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo. This year's test flights will be an important step for them as they try to get back on track for the commercialization of eVTOLs.

The schedule and route of Marubeni's test flight have yet to be decided. The Vertical Aerospace vehicle the trading house is expected to use has capacity for five passengers and crew. The 13-meter-long eVTOL also has a maximum range of 160 kilometers.

Aichi Prefecture-based startup SkyDrive Inc. conducted a demonstration flight of a three-seater eVTOL at the Expo. The company plans to conduct a test flight of the vehicle in Tokyo by the end of March, in cooperation with companies such as Mitsubishi Estate Co. It would be the first time for SkyDrive to conduct a flight in Tokyo. SkyDrive will also install and test a facial recognition system at the landing site as it seeks to ensure a smooth boarding process.

Japanese operators of eVTOLs plan to begin commercial passenger flights as early as 2027. Currently, overseas manufacturers are seeking to obtain type certification, which is needed for mass production. Thus, the Japanese operators are aiming to expedite their efforts toward the commercialization of flying cars by establishing records of flights.

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This article is from The Yomiuri Shimbun. Neither Dow Jones Newswires, MarketWatch, Barron's nor The Wall Street Journal were involved in the creation of this content.

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January 14, 2026 06:44 ET (11:44 GMT)

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