Geely, one of China’s largest private automakers, announced this week it would buy all of US flying car start-up Terrafugia for an undisclosed amount, the latest in a string of companies vying² to launch aerial vehicles in China.

中国最大民营汽车制造商之一吉利(Geely)本周宣布，将收购美国飞行汽车初创公司Terrafugia的全部业务和资产，但未透露收购金额，这是一系列企业争相在中国推出飞行汽车的最新一例。

Terrafugia, founded in 2006, aims to bring its first flying car to market in 2019, according to the company.

创立于2006年Terrafugia公司自称，其目标是在2019年推出首款飞行汽车。

After the acquisition, it will become a Geely subsidiary but remain headquartered and licensed³ in the US. The deal has been approved by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (Cfius).

上述收购完成后，Terrafugia将成为吉利的子公司，但总部和注册地将继续留在美国。此项交易已获得美国外国投资委员会(CFIUS)批准。

Traditional automakers have already been branching into self-driving technology and electric batteries. Now they see China, with its rising wealth, as a ready market for flying cars, which have been marketed as particularly cutting-edge luxury cars and will be priced as such, according to Terrafugia.

传统汽车制造商早已开始涉足自主驾驶技术和电动车电池领域。如今，他们将财富不断增长的中国视为飞行汽车的现成市场；据Terrafugia公司介绍，这类汽车的市场定位是技术极为尖端的豪华汽车，定价也将参照豪华车标准。

Flying cars have also been promoted as fast transport in a country bedevilled by traffic jams.

在受到交通拥堵困扰的国家，飞行汽车也被推崇为一种快速交通工具。

The ultimate challenge will be building aerial vehicles that use Vertical⁴ Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) technology, meaning the vehicle can take off without a runway. Terrafugia said its first flying car using VTOL would come to market in 2023.

终极挑战在于打造使用垂直起降(VTOL)技术的飞行汽车，这意味着这种车可以在没有跑道的情况下起飞。Terrafugia表示，其首款采用垂直起降技术的飞行汽车将于2023年投放市场。

That would let flying cars operate in denser⁵ urban spaces and tap into China’s already extensive aeronautic⁶ infrastructure⁷. The country plans to build 136 civil airports by 2025, according to China’s civil aviation administration, which entrepreneurs envision could provide a network of landing sites.

这将可以让飞行汽车在密集的城市空间运行，并充分利用中国数量众多的航空基础设施。中国民航局表示，计划到2025年建设136座民用机场；按照企业家们的设想，这些机场将提供一个起降点网络。

“We need to reduce the number of vehicles in cities. With flying cars, we will have better bandwidth as transportation⁸ flows in three dimensions,” said Juraj Vaculik, chief executive of AeroMobil, a flying car start-up based in Slovakia.

“我们需要减少城市中的汽车保有量。有了飞行汽车，我们将有更畅通的交通环境，因为交通工具在三维空间运行，”总部位于斯洛伐克的飞行汽车初创公司AeroMobil首席执行官尤拉伊?瓦丘利克(Juraj Vaculik)表示。

The company released a prototype of its two-person vehicle in 2013 and recently filled orders for a limited release of its first commercially available aerial vehicle, to be delivered in 2020.

该公司在2013年推出一款双座飞行汽车的样车，将于2020年交付首款限量版市售飞行汽车。

Meanwhile, Chinese group eHang, best known as a drone maker¹, announced it was planning to launch a fully autonomous⁹ flying car service in Dubai this July though trials only began this summer, according to Dubai transportation officials.

与此同时，迪拜运输部门官员表示，中国知名无人机制造商亿航智能(eHang)已宣布计划于明年7月在迪拜推出一款全自主飞行汽车，尽管该车在今年夏天才开始试飞。

The Terrafugia acquisition is a long-shot bet for Geely, said Sau Cheung Ma, an analyst¹⁰ with Guotai Junan Securities in Hong Kong. “Geely’s acquires valuable technology in this deal but there is no guarantee it will yield any results. There are still many, many years left before companies are able to realise flying cars if at all,” he said.

国泰君安证券(Guotai Junan Securities)驻香港分析师马守彰(Sau Cheung Ma)称，收购Terrafugia对吉利而言是一个长线赌注。 “吉利在这笔交易中获得了宝贵的技术，但目前不能保证会产生任何成果。即便真的可行，企业也需要很多年时间才能实现飞行汽车梦，”他表示。

Difficulties remain in getting regulatory approval as every flying car must meet operating standards for automobiles¹¹ and small aircraft. Moreover, early adopters must work with local officials to navigate¹² certification processes city by city.

由于每辆飞行汽车都必须达到汽车和小型飞机的运行标准，因此争取到监管批准会有很多困难。此外，早期提供者还必须与地方官员合作，逐一通过各个城市的认证程序。