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Japan’s Suzuki to Make ‘Flying Cars’ with SkyDrive

The logo of Suzuki Motor Corp. is pictured at the 45th Tokyo Motor Show in Tokyo, Japan October 25, 2017. (Reuters)
The logo of Suzuki Motor Corp. is pictured at the 45th Tokyo Motor Show in Tokyo, Japan October 25, 2017. (Reuters)
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Japan’s Suzuki to Make ‘Flying Cars’ with SkyDrive

The logo of Suzuki Motor Corp. is pictured at the 45th Tokyo Motor Show in Tokyo, Japan October 25, 2017. (Reuters)
The logo of Suzuki Motor Corp. is pictured at the 45th Tokyo Motor Show in Tokyo, Japan October 25, 2017. (Reuters)

Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor Corp said on Tuesday it had reached an agreement with SkyDrive Inc to make "flying cars".

The companies will use a Suzuki Group factory in central Japan to make electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and aim to begin production by around spring next year, Suzuki said in a statement.

SkyDrive will establish a wholly owned subsidiary to make the aircraft and Suzuki will help with preparations for the manufacturing, including securing talent, the automaker said.

Headquartered in the city of Toyota in central Japan, SkyDrive has trading house Itochu Corp, tech firm NEC Corp and a unit of energy company Eneos Holdings Inc among its main shareholders.

The two companies signed a deal in March last year to team up in research, development and marketing of flying cars.

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Apple's iPhones to Support Starlink Direct-to-Cell Coverage in US 

Customers walk past an Apple logo inside of an Apple store at Grand Central Station in New York, US, August 1, 2018. (Reuters)
Customers walk past an Apple logo inside of an Apple store at Grand Central Station in New York, US, August 1, 2018. (Reuters)
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Apple's iPhones to Support Starlink Direct-to-Cell Coverage in US 

Customers walk past an Apple logo inside of an Apple store at Grand Central Station in New York, US, August 1, 2018. (Reuters)
Customers walk past an Apple logo inside of an Apple store at Grand Central Station in New York, US, August 1, 2018. (Reuters)

Apple's iPhone devices are now eligible to test SpaceX-owned Starlink's direct-to-cell capability that provides coverage from space, according to T-Mobile, a partner in the program.

T-Mobile and Elon Musk's SpaceX are currently testing the Starlink cell network on a trial basis after receiving approval from the Federal Communications Commission in November last year.

The trial offers 'text via satellite', while voice and data features will be added in the future, according to the T-Mobile website.

T-Mobile initially only listed a few Android smartphones as eligible devices to test the network, but has now added iPhone devices with the latest iOS 18.3 software update.

Bloomberg News first reported on Tuesday that Apple, SpaceX and T-Mobile had been secretively working to add support for the network in its latest iPhone software.

Apple and SpaceX did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment outside regular business hours.

In October last year, the FCC had allowed SpaceX and T-Mobile to enable Starlink satellites with direct-to-cell capability to provide coverage for cellphones in areas of North Carolina hit hard by Hurricane Helene.