Chinese EV giant Xpeng has begun mass production of a ‘real flying car’ with the first flying body rolling of the assembly line. It’s the first time a major automaker, not a start-up, has crossed that line.
Xpeng’s flying-car division, recently rebranded Aridge, announced this week that the first model rolled off the line at its new 180,000 m² factory in Guangzhou.
The plant has an initial annual capacity of 5,000 units, but is built to produce up to 10,000 units per year, making it the world’s largest flying-car facility.
The trial-produced aircraft now undergoes test flights to validate product performance and manufacturing processes further ahead of initial deliveries in 2026, the company claims.
SUV carrying a helicopter?
The flying machine, built by Xpeng’s rebranded subsidiary Aridge, looks like something between a luxury SUV and a small helicopter.
Officially called the Land Aircraft Carrier (LAC), it drives like an electric vehicle, then releases a detachable, flying, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) module that can cruise up to 30 to 40 km, with a flight time of 35 to 45 minutes.
The ground ‘mothership’ can recharge the air-module for up to five or six flights on a full charge and is reported to have a combined driving range of over 1,000 km (620 miles).
Announced in October 2024, the three-axle parent vehicle that carries and recharges the eVTOL, the ‘Land Aircraft Carrier’ (LAC), is now ready to be built in one of Xpeng’s new factories.
Claiming +7,000 global pre-orders
Pre-sales of the modular flying car, which will retail for under two million yuan (€260,000), began at the end of 2024, with mass production and deliveries starting in 2026.
Aridge has publicly claimed more than 7,000 global pre-orders, boosted by a 600-unit Middle East deal announced in October 2025. The agreement involves distributors and business groups, including Ali & Sons Group (UAE), Almana Group (Qatar), and Al Sayer Group (Kuwait).
Aridge’s ambitions stretch well beyond engineering novelty. Backed by Xpeng Motors’ EV expertise and state-level support for “low-altitude mobility,” the company aims to make personal flight part of everyday transport.
China’s regulators have already begun mapping out controlled air corridors and ‘flying campuses’, small vertiports for personal or taxi use. It’s a model that favors speed and scale over slow consensus.
Different approaches in the US and Europe
While China races ahead with production-scale ambitions, the US and Europe remain the twin pillars of regulation-driven innovation in the flying-car and eVTOL arena, but their approaches differ sharply.
In the United States, companies like Joby Aviation, Wisk Aero (backed by Boeing), and Archer Aviation have become frontrunners, testing air taxis in urban corridors and closing in on FAA certification for limited commercial flights as early as 2026.
The ecosystem thrives on venture capital and flexible testing rules, but lacks the manufacturing depth of China’s auto giants. In Europe, the focus is on safety, sustainability, and precision in certification.
EU’s most mature regulatory framework
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has built the world’s most mature regulatory framework, yet its strict standards have slowed deployment.
Pioneers such as German Volocopter and Dutch PAL-V are close to operational readiness, while others like Lilium are struggling financially.
Together, the US and Europe may lead in engineering and regulatory credibility, but their cautious pace leaves room for China’s Aridge to claim the high ground in industrial scale.
