M’sia’s Flying Vehicle Prototype That Will Cost RM1 Million Draws Ridicule From S’poreans & M’sians

Do you know the meme?

1985: I bet in the future we will have flying cars!

This statement is usually followed by a picture of a stupid modern day invention, because we do not, in fact, have flying cars yet.

But those days are a thing of the past, and I wonder how much more crushing this revelation will be, now that the future is finally, actually here, and it looks like that:

How? What??

The model was presented at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace 2019 (LIMA’19) exhibition, on February 26.

The vehicle that’s known as Vector is a drone concept vehicle for passengers or cargo. It’s said that its prototype will be completed as early as June this year.

This Should Cost…Umm…RM 1 Million

The Minister of Entrepreneur Development Datuk Seri Redzuan Md Yusof explained that the car costs about one million ringgit (about SGD$331,000.

It is equipped with local technology and is supposed to be “safe and capable of flying at a low altitude at a reasonable speed”.

He also expressed that “this year is a realistic target because we have the technology. It is all about the speed of implementation.”

This would be a truly amazing feat. So amazing, it’s probably not going to go as planned, since (as many sharp netizens recognised) designs for flying cars have been conceptualised by many other countries who are better with this technology like the USA with Transition, and Slovakia with AeroMobil.

They took a long time and a lot of money. And to date, none of them has been made available.

(Is it me, or does that guy looks like he’s Photoshopped in?)

Malaysia’s History with Cars

Before we talk about the flying variety, let’s talk about the ones that are meant to stay firmly on the ground.

Proton was Malaysia’s attempt to carve out a place for itself in the global automobile industry.

After costing taxpayers tens of billions in tariff protections and bailouts, Proton did not make it to the global market. In fact, it’s not even that popular with the locals, selling just one in ten new cars registered in Malaysia today.

But it did become a classic textbook example of the failings of protectionism for students of Economics all around.

Congratulations…?

The Responses

Even if you don’t know anything about the relationship Malaysia have with cars, one superficial look at the design is enough to spark the jokes. The netizens were especially tickled by the huge ghetto propellers, and how it’s supposed to be the icon of future technology.

And again, the allusion to other flying car models being that much better…

You never know

Maybe we shouldn’t dismiss this so quickly.

And they’re obviously hopeful. Let’s stop trampling on their dreams.

For all you know in 3 month’s time, Neo-Proton could be the first flying car in the world.