What moves you? Shaped by a combination of virus-based confinement, radical shifts in travel patterns, leaps in innovations, and the profound awareness of the impact the sector has on climate change, this question has never been more relevant. Fortunately, innovative manufacturers, both heritage and startups, are rising to the challenge and attempting to answer the question in novel ways, using lightweight materials and new propulsion systems, as well as a rethinking of the whole notion of mobility.
We pored over the offerings across existing and impending categories and culled this list of the coolest, most interesting, most inventive, and sometimes most fantastical iterations of transport. Our personal jetpacks aren’t here yet, and may never be, but major change is creeping in and will continue to shape individual and group travel in the decade to come.
MOTORCYCLES
Ducati V4 Superleggera: Ducati is the Lamborghini of motorcycles. Quite literally. The Italian supercar brand owns the Italian supercycle brand. This $100,000 bike is its pinnacle product, with more power than a VW GTI contained in a lightweight carbon fiber package that’s nearly one tenth the weight. Only 500 will be available worldwide.
Indian FTR 1200S: America’s first motorcycle company was founded in 1901, and after some tumultuous times, and varied ownerships, it roared back onto the market this century under the aegis of power-sports manufacturer Polaris. This handsome, retro-inspired $15,499 bike is sporty and compact, with a masterful stance that yields nimble handling.
Harley-Davidson LiveWire: Harley-Davidson motorcycles are known as much for their grand cruiser size as they are for their nearly patented “potato-potato-potato” exhaust note. This battery-powered $29,700 bike undoes both of these familiar tropes, with sleek chrome-free styling, and silent electrically propelled operation for its 146-mile range.
Damon HyperSport: Vancouver-based Damon Motorcycles won a “Best in Innovation” award at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show, with this battery-powered $24,995 sport bike. Available with 200 miles of range, two power-adjustable seating positions, and front- and rear-camera-enabled driver safety systems, it presages our techy electric future.
AVIATION
Zunum Hybrid: Backed by Boeing and JetBlue, this startup will build hybrid gasoline-electric planes that can be adapted to full battery power as science and storage capacities increase. With just 27 seats, and limited range, they’ll take advantage of smaller, local airports for flights of under 700 miles, offering decreased emissions and total travel time.
Icon A5: This lightweight $395,000 plane trades on uniqueness. The propeller is behind the cockpit, providing a panoramic view. The wings fold so you can tow or store it easily. It runs on premium car gas, so you can fuel up anywhere. And it can take off and land on water, providing endless runway options. You can even drive it on a lake, like a boat.
Beta Technologies Alia: The future of aviation is Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL). Essentially giant drones, these battery-powered, multi-rotor craft will be able to depart from and touch down nearly anywhere, ferrying cargo and passengers up to 250 miles. Beta had one of two VTOLs that made the cut for a recent Air Force–endorsed test program.
Aerion AS2: Time is money for business travelers, so cutting two hours from a New York–London flight is enough to justify the $120 million cost of this 10-passenger supersonic jet, which flies at 1.4 times the speed of sound. The interior is next level, and it will run on biofuels, and will be built in a carbon-neutral Florida factory, for green cred.
AUTOMOTIVE
Ford Bronco: After a 25-year hiatus, Ford’s iconic SUV returns in 2021. Built, like the original, to compete with Jeep’s Wrangler, this retro-inspired off-roader comes in two- and four-door models, each with relevant go-anywhere goodies, as well as a body that allows removal of the roof and doors. Starting under $30,000, we think it’s a surefire hit.
Mercedes-Benz S Class: The S has been the standard bearer in the full-size luxury sedan segment for decades, and this all-new, 10th generation model continues the tradition with new levels of interior and exterior design refinement, cosseting appointments, up-to-the-minute tech advancements, and a killer stereo. Expect a $100,000 starting price in 2021.
Ferrari Roma: The mid-20th-century La Dolce Vita moment—when Italian design and film conquered the world—is reimagined for our early 21st century with this manifestly gorgeous $225,000 2+2 grand tourer. Powered by a 611 hp turbocharged V8, it will rip from zero to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds on its way to a 199 mph top speed, and look good doing it.
Lucid Air: The buzzworthy electric car startup takes on Tesla’s dominant Model S with this handsome luxury sedan. Featuring more power (1,080 hp), more range (517 miles), more passenger and cargo space, more free charging (three years), and superior interior materials than Elon’s sedan, the $139,000 Air Grand Touring almost becomes a bargain.
OTHER
Bowlus Road Chief: Hawley Bowlus built the world’s first Streamline Moderne riveted aluminum trailers back in the mid-thirties—pre-Airstream. This revival of his name and designs results in a $225,000, battery-powered mobile dream lined in high-quality fabric, birch plywood, polished metal, and skylights—like a Swedish summer house on wheels.
Triton Subs: Triton is a pioneer in the category of personal submersibles—private submarines for yachts, film crews, or researchers. Subs seat from two to seven people and can dive from 300 to 11,000 meters underwater. The prices for their 10 models run from seven to eight figures. Deep-pocketed clients can custom-design their own specialty sub.
SilentYacht Silent 80: This $6.5 million ship removes the environmental degradation endemic in yachting with a solar-charged, battery-powered experience. This radical power train also eliminates the noise, fumes, waste, and maintenance of petrol-powered vessels, though it has an onboard gas generator to charge the batteries on cloudy days.
InMotion V11 Electric Unicycle: Electric unicycles are odd. Self-balancing one-wheel vehicles meant for short commutes to work, through campus, or to public transit hubs, they reek of hubris and broken bones. But this $1,999 model has a built-in shock absorber, brake lights, and kickstand, and can go 75 miles on a charge at speeds of up to 31 mph.
