Xpeng aims to mass-produce flying cars from 2027 – over 7,000 orders already placed

Chinese Tesla rival Xpeng appears to be aiming to evolve from a pure electric carmaker into a broader mobility company. To that end, Xpeng wants to produce and deliver “flying cars” at scale from 2027, company president Brian Gu said in an interview with Reuters. However, this does not mean a conventional car that takes off on its own, but a two-part system consisting of an electric carrier vehicle and a separately transported eVTOL aircraft with room for two people. The vehicle is called the Land Aircraft Carrier and was most recently shown at CES 2025.

The Land Aircraft Carrier comes from Xpeng’s sub-brand Xpeng AeroHT, which now also operates internationally under the name “Aridge.” According to Xpeng President Brian Gu, the first deliveries could begin as early as the end of 2026. Demand appears to be there, at least on paper. Xpeng says it has already received more than 7,000 orders, most of them from China. Nevertheless, series production remains tied to one key condition: China’s aviation authorities still have to approve the aircraft. Since regulators treat the eVTOL as an aircraft rather than a car, safety certification is likely to be the main hurdle.

Should the Land Aircraft Carrier receive approval, international availability does not seem all that unlikely. Xpeng is active in around 60 countries outside China and already generates 15% of its revenue in foreign markets. According to Brian Gu, the company wants more than half of its revenue to come from outside China within the next five to ten years. Given its current cooperation with Volkswagen, the Chinese EV maker is also likely to have the German market in mind. Before the flying car can reach other markets, however, Xpeng would first have to deal with additional aviation authorities.

On Reddit, reactions have so far been mostly skeptical. Many users are voicing safety concerns, questioning the aircraft’s everyday practicality and joking about risky driving behavior moving into the air in the future. While some see it as an early step toward a potentially exciting long-term technology, most view Xpeng’s timeline more as an ambitious vision of the future.