Rolls up

The venerable carmaker announces its plans for air taxis within a decade

The idea of flying vehicles still feels like science fiction, but the reality is quickly approaching us. Every potential manufacturer, from Boeing to Airbus, entrepreneurs including Larry Page at Google and Jeff Bezos at Amazon, and startups including Uber, Volocopter and Chinese firm eHang are all attempting to take a leading role in the personal air mobility space of tomorrow. Entire cities are at it, too; Dubai staged its first air-taxi trial last year in a bid to become a center of innovation for robotics and drones.

The latest contender to toss its name into the ring - or, more accurately, the air - is Rolls-Royce PLC, the arm of the prestigious automaker that also deals with sectors like nuclear power, jet engine technology and aeronautics.