Embraer has long said there is room in its business jet portfolio for two more products, nestled in the large gap between the Phenom 300 light jet and Legacy 600 super-midsize.
A full-scale mock-up of one of those jets - and Embraer is not saying which - will be on display at the National Business Aviation Association's annual trade show in Atlanta next month.
Company chief executive Frederico Fleury Curado says the nose-to-baggage compartment mock-up, the result of a year's worth of consulting with customers, is "one of the last stages" of a marketing analysis aimed at determining the viability of the aircraft.
Rather than a quantum step on the road to product launch however, the showing is but a "teaser" that will provide Embraer with "fine tuning" suggestions from potential customers, says Curado.
Luis Carlos Affonso, Embraer's executive vice-president for executive aviation, is equally opaque on the details, saying only that the value proposition featured with the Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 jets will be maintained with the new products.
The Phenom 100 costs about $1 million less than what Embraer says is the nearest apples-for-apples competitor, the Cessna CJ1, and the Phenom 300 is priced $1 million or more less than the CJ4, its direct competitor, according to Embraer.
Affonso says Embraer hired a design company, the name of which will be revealed at NBAA, to help develop the cabin concept. He also says that discussions with as-yet unnamed engine manufacturers are under way.
Read the Woracle's blog Embraer to unveil concept jet
Source: FlightGlobal.com
