June 9, 2025 – Alef Aeronautics, a flying car startup backed by Elon Musk, has announced that it is accelerating the production of pre-production models for what it claims to be the “first genuine flying car.” This vehicle, which combines a multi-rotor flying mechanism with a car’s body and wheels, is entirely powered by electricity.
Having dedicated nearly a decade to the development of flying cars, Alef Aeronautics is now on the verge of commercializing its product. Back in October 2022, the company unveiled its prototype, the “Model A,” boasting an electric range of 220 miles on roads, with approximately 110 miles of that being flight distance. Pre-orders for the Model A opened in the same month, and by the end of 2022, the company had already secured 440 orders.
According to the latest updates from the company, the number of orders for the Model A has now surpassed 3,400, with a potential total order value of around 1billion.Customersinterestedinplacingareservationcanchoosetopay150 to join the “standard” queue or $1,500 to be placed on the “priority” list.
Alef has stated that it has commenced pre-production of the vehicle at its Silicon Valley factory and anticipates moving into the formal delivery phase soon. “Assuming everything goes smoothly and there are no significant external disruptions, Alef plans to officially begin manufacturing the first batch of production models by the end of 2025 or the first quarter of 2026, followed by deliveries,” the company announced.
Alef claims that the Model A is the world’s first manned vehicle to receive legal road approval while also featuring vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. The company even asserts that, on average, the energy consumption of its flying car is lower than that of Tesla or any other electric vehicle model.
According to Alef, since the Model A is classified as an “ultralight aircraft,” it can be legally used on roads without requiring a pilot’s license. However, the vehicle is still subject to flight restrictions—it can only fly during the day and is prohibited from operating over densely populated urban areas.
Earlier this year, Alef released a real-life video of the flying car, showing the Model A taking off vertically over a car on a California highway. Although the footage was initially questioned as “fake,” Alef insisted that it was “the world’s first genuine footage of a car achieving vertical takeoff while in motion.”
Currently, the starting price for the Model A is set at $300,000. Alef has indicated that the price will significantly decrease after mass production begins, with the final cost expected to be lower than that of a Toyota Corolla or a Ford Focus.
