A Chinese company this week began trial production of a flying car. The move comes ahead of plans by US-based Tesla and other companies to introduce such cars soon. Xpeng Aerohat, a subsidiary of Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng, has begun trial production in the world's first “intelligent” factory for mass production of flying cars. This is a milestone in the commercialization of next-generation transportation.
The car will be assembled in just 30 minutes
A 120,000-square-meter plant in the Huangpu district of Guangzhou, the capital of south China's Guangdong province, has produced the first assembled electric aircraft of its modular flying car “land aircraft carrier,” state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The facility is designed to produce 10,000 assembled aircraft modules annually, with an initial capacity of 5,000 units. Its production capacity is the highest of any factory of its kind, the report said. Once fully operational an aircraft will be assembled every 30 minutes. Xpeng announced the plan before Tesla unveiled its flying car version.
Xpeng said it has received about 5,000 orders for the flying car since the product was introduced, and mass production and deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2026. More than 50 Chinese EV manufacturers exported a total of 2.01 million pure electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in the first eight months of the year, up 51 percent from the same period a year ago, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).
American TV channel Fox quoted Tesla founder Elon Musk as saying that American podcaster Joe Rogan had asked for clarification on technology such as whether the vehicle would have wings. However Musk only said that the unveiling could be “the most memorable product unveiling ever”. “Hopefully the car will be unveiled in a few months,” Musk said.
American company Aleph Aeronautics recently tested its flying car and announced that commercial production will begin soon. Aleph Aeronautics CEO Jim Duchovny said in an interview with Fox News that his company has already received more than US$1 billion in pre-booked orders. These cars will be driven by drivers who have a driving license as well as a license to fly light aircraft.
