SkyDrive wins funding from Suzuki Motor

SkyDrive, a Japanese eVTOL aircraft manufacturer, announced that it secured additional funding in its Series C round through a third-party allotment of new shares to Suzuki Motor Corporation. This will accelerate the development and manufacturing of its eVTOL aircraft. With the agreement on business and technology collaboration with Suzuki, the company said it will explore and strengthen the business development of eVTOL in the Indian market. SkyDrive was formally established in July 2018 after testing flying car concepts and prototypes from 2014 with the mission of “taking the lead in the once-in-a-century mobility revolution.” Its vision is to create a future where everyone has access to eVTOLs as their daily transportation in Japan and across the world. The company succeeded in the first crewed eVTOL flight test in Japan in 2019 and its eVTOL “SKYDRIVE” is in the process of acquiring its Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) certification. SkyDrive has been selected as a company to participate in the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) project at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. SkyDrive plans to begin production of “SKYDRIVE” in the Spring of 2024 at the plant owned by official production partner Suzuki Motor Company. SkyDrive is headquartered in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture. Tomohiro Fukuzawa is the CEO of the company. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Kay Rolland at [email protected]