Flying cars could be used to light the Olympic flame at Tokyo 2020 as Toyota invests in Skydrive project

LONDON 2012 had Boris Johnson stuck on a zipwire and the Queen skydiving but Tokyo 2020 could have flying cars to light its Olympic flame at the opening ceremony.

Japan 1 UK 0.

The wacky project that's got financial backing from Toyota would see a single-seater, drone-like vehicle enter the stadium before soaring 10-metres up in the air and lighting the flame.

It's the dream of the Skydrive project being developed by Cartivator.

From a nation that's home to Sony, Nintendo and Panasonic, you wouldn't bet against an out-of-this-world tech showcase for the Olympics.

The concept vehicle is 2.9-metres long and capable of 90mph on the road with aerial speeds of 62mph.

It claims to be the world's smallest flying electric vehicle although it's fair to say competition for that title is pretty scarce for now.

But with the support of one of the biggest car makers in the world - Toyota has invested nearly £300,000 - a manned trial flight is already being scheduled for 2018.

Toyota chairman Takeshi Ichiyamada said of investment in futuristic projects: "Things will not progress if you wait and provide money only when the technology is ready."

Skydrive works similar to a drone with four rotors helping control it in the sky but folding out of the way when it's on land.

It won't require a runway or landing strip to take to the skies, either, thanks to the vertical take-off technology.

The project has been in development since 2012 after leader Tsubasa Nakamura and his friends won a competition and they've been securing extra funding and testing for the last five years.

Beyond the hopes of a Tokyo 2020 prototype, Skydrive believes it can have a commercial version available by 2023 and a mass-market product for 2030.