The Japanese auto maker says it's time to make good on its 1980's promises, and will focus all efforts on producing a flying automobile with great fuel efficiency.

Toyota is known around the world for producing affordable, reliable cars with gas mileage that far exceeds the low expectations set by the American government. Despite technical difficulties with some of its cars in 2010, the Japanese company is once again ready to set the standard for cutting edge technology.

"In the 1980's we promised people that our technology would be so advanced by the year 2000, everyone would be driving flying cars," said Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda. "Everyday I get angry emails from nerds like Avery Brooks, reminding me that it's now 2011, and we're still making cars that drive on the ground."

And Toyoda has had enough.

On April 1st, the Toyota CEO strode into a meeting with his head designers and engineers, and delivered some shocking news: Toyota would halt production of its incredibly popular Prius line so that the company could focus its efforts on being the first to offer a fuel efficient, affordable flying car.

"The Prius had a good run," said Toyota President Yoshimi Inaba, "but we think that people have waited long enough for a car that is no longer bound to the road. We're confident that even though there's no infrastructure or laws in place to make flying a car safe for the average commuter, the government will fast-track those projects once they see how awesome our prototypes are."

The flying car design will feature a super-lightweight construction that showcases "organic synthetics" and an interwoven organic frame supported by a chassis based on fast-growing ivy and reinforced with spider silk composite (via Greenwala).

If you've read this far without realizing this post is a joke, APRIL FOOLS! Wouldn't flying cars be cool though?

Image Credit: Flickr - kleinman