UK future mobility design house Frank Stephenson Design has been named director of design for AutoFlight's latest eVTOL aircraft Prosperity I, the third eVTOL project overseen by the company.

With over 30 years of expertise from Ferrari, Maserati and McLaren, BMW and MINI, Stephenson is known for a design philosophy that blends art with science while using the latest eco-friendly technology to shape design mobility.

Stephenson's role with AutoFlight involves the design of the interior and exterior of the whole vehicle, with light weighting and luxury the foremost consideration for future mobility users.

The team includes world-renowned designers and pioneering innovators who are instrumental in the recent upgrades for Prosperity I. The vehicle successfully completed multiple full-scale test flights last year and already claimed a world record for the longest flight by an eVTOL aircraft on a single electric charge in February 2023.

Founder Frank Stephenson says: “During my career, I've aspired to create vehicles that are efficient, safe, technically brilliant and beautiful, and I'm hugely excited to now be applying these principles to the eVTOL industry. The aviation landscape is shifting, and we are on the cusp of entering a new era where electric air transportation is affordable and available to everybody. The AutoFlight name is synonymous with simplicity, safety and efficiency. I'm delighted to be part of its fantastic team and join it on its inspiring journey.”

Mark Robert Henning, managing director of AutoFlight Europe, adds: “Frank is one of the world's most renowned and influential designers of our time. His unique style is already evident on Prosperity I, with its sleek, sculpted, uncluttered and dynamic feel that has been inspired by a natural sense of flow and dynamics. It's uplifting to work with him as we bring our vision of unlocking the skies for mass individual transportation to life.”

The last 12 months have seen a series of milestones and significant developments for AutoFlight, including the establishment of a European base in Augsburg, Germany and the appointment of Mark Robert Henning, formerly of Airbus, as its European managing director, as well as a $100 million investment from next-generation mobility investor Team Global. More recently, Prosperity I has had 105 sales to date and is on the fourth prototype, with a final design to be unveiled in Q3 of this year.

Prosperity I has been built for transfers between parts of a city, airport commutes, connecting two nearby cities or enabling trips to the countryside while avoiding traffic on the ground. When ready for commercial flight in 2026, it is expected that a trip that takes an hour by car will be reduced to about 10 minutes, while being safer and not much more expensive.