California Firm Starts Building First Customer-Bound Flying Cars

Alef Aeronautics’ Model A Ultralight is billed as a ‘drive-and-fly’ vehicle fit for the roads and skies.

Jack Daleo

Tuesday, December 09, 2025 at 01:39 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Alef begins production of the Model A Ultralight, which it said will be the first flying car to be delivered to customers. [Credit: Alef Aeronautics]

Key Takeaways:

California manufacturer Alef Aeronautics has begun production of its Model A Ultralight, a "drive-and-fly" vehicle it anticipates will be the first true flying car delivered to customers.
These initial ultralight variants will be delivered to a few early customers for real-world testing under controlled conditions, aiming to optimize manufacturing for the larger, flagship Model A.
The Model A Ultralight features vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capability with embedded propellers and a rotating cabin for flight; Alef is also conducting parallel testing with its Model Zero prototype to demonstrate driving and flight.

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California manufacturer Alef Aeronautics said Tuesday that it began production on its Model A Ultralight—a “drive-and-fly” vehicle that it believes will be the first true “flying car” to be delivered to a customer.

Alef said the vehicle, which is designed to lift off directly from roads and allow its occupants to soar over traffic, will take “several months” to build. It will be delivered to “only a few early customers, for the purpose of testing flying cars in the real-world environment, under very controlled conditions,” Alef said. Customers will be selected from a queue of investors with the “highest deposit and priority,” the company told FLYING.