Tag test

The purpose of the wind tunnel test is to determine how air flows around a speeding object. It’s an indicator of overall aerodynamics, but with the test, you also get to visually plot how air bends to accommodate your moving vehicle, and how it regathers once it gets to the back. Although mainly a function-driven exercise, it’s also rather pretty to look at, and it looks like the kind of aesthetic Seongmin Kim was going for while designing the Cadillac A-RROW, a conceptual car that’s exterior is dominated by continuous lines.

Designer: Seongmin Kim

Look at the car and you instantly notice how dominant these straight continuous lines are. They stretch from the front to the back, wrapping the top and sides, but not defining their surfaces entirely. The car still has its own character in between those lines, which looks beautiful, but there’s something exhilarating about the A-RROW’s design, and that probably stems from the fact that it looks like it’s in movement even when it’s standing still, giving it a sense of speed.

“I was deeply moved by the beauty of the continuous line,” mentions Seongmin. “The lines seemed to represent the past and the future, the universe and the flow of existence. They reminded me that they contain the flow and change of time, and that they harbor infinite possibilities.”

Envisioned as a futuristic EV, the car treads into luxury territory with its gorgeous design and swooping silhouette. It sports a stunning panoramic windscreen that arches all the way from the front to the rear, covering even the sides to create a bubble-like cockpit for the driver and the lucky passenger! The metallic paint job, and LED-strip headlights and taillights enhance the automobile’s futurism, and let’s just say that I wish more car manufacturers turned their branding logos into glowing light patterns!

When we were watching sci-fi TV shows and movies, we probably dreamt of eventually having those vehicles, gadgets, and other technology that they were showing off there. We’re in the year 2023 and while there have been some major advancements already, we still have some ways to go when it comes to things like hoverboards and flying cars. But apparently, we might be closer than we’ve been thinking as an aeronautics company has taken one step closer to having an actual flying car on the road, or rather, in the sky.

Designer: Alef Aeronautics (Open for Pre-Order Now!)

The California-based sustainable electric transportation company Alef Aeronautics was able to receive government certification to fly its Model-A flying car over some parts of the state, specifically Silicon Valley. It is apparently the first of its kind and is able to function like what a real car on the road would do but is able to do a vertical takeoff and fly through the skies. It may not the flying car that we’ve envisioned just yet because of The Jetsons and Back to the Future but it’s one step closer to having vehicles other than planes and helicopters up there.

It is an electric vehicle that looks like a customized luxury car or something that’s from one of those sci-fi movies where flying cars are the norm. The front and sides have some grill type of panels that probably have something to do with the technology that allows it to fly. Obviously they will not reveal yet much of their secrets but the CEO Jim Dukovny claims that their car is even safer than the regular cars on the road. You can actually park and use it just like a regular car and then when you need it to fly, you just do a vertical takeoff.

Obviously, something like this will cost a lot. For now the price tag is $300,000 and they’re still getting a lot of pre-orders. Eventually, they want to be able to bring it down to 100K and then 35K so that the “average consumer” will still get a chance to own one. There are still many steps to go including regulations in cities and countries that will have it, but it’s still a pretty exciting development to have.