He went on to explain how the car itself is a tool to explore the world, akin to the airships of the past. "Whether it's driving or combat, you can do what you like in the game," Tabata said. "There is that freedom. It's open world, and it's possible to go where you want and explore."
Hopefully this doesn't mean that plans for an airship have been totally removed from the game. We already know that there are plans for Chocobos in the FFXV demo, so the car isn't the only form of transportation. However cars and chocobos don't equal airships.

As for 55% completion... :/

Tabata seems to have things under control now, so hopefully he'll keep on top of things and go full steam ahead on development from here on out!