Xpeng’s flying car plan

Xpeng says it expects to start large-scale production of its flying cars in 2027, pushing one of the auto industry’s longest-running moonshots closer to saleable hardware. (reuters.com) The target came from Xpeng president Brian Gu in an interview published Thursday, April 23. Reuters reported the company plans volume production of its “flying” cars next year and is pursuing full-scale deliveries on that timeline. (reuters.com) The vehicle Xpeng is talking about is not a sedan with wings. Its flying-car unit, now branded Aridge after operating as Xpeng AeroHT, is building the “Land Aircraft Carrier,” a six-wheeled ground vehicle that carries a detachable two-seat electric aircraft in the rear. (aridge.com, aridge.com) That design tries to solve a basic problem in electric aviation: batteries are heavy and flight time is short. Xpeng’s answer is a road vehicle that transports, stores and recharges the aircraft, so the flying part is used for short hops instead of full trips. (aridge.com, evtol.news) Xpeng has been moving this project out of the concept stage for more than a year. In March 2024, the Civil Aviation Administration of China accepted the type certificate application for the flight body, and in May 2025 it accepted the production certificate application for the airframe. (aridge.com, cnevpost.com) The company has also built a factory in Guangzhou for the aircraft portion of the vehicle. Aridge said the plant can produce up to 10,000 units a year and described it as the first intelligent factory for mass-produced flying cars. (aridge.com) Xpeng has been publicly shifting its timetable as the program matures. In April 2024 it said the Land Aircraft Carrier would enter presales in the fourth quarter of that year, and in November 2024 it said mass production was expected by late 2026. (xpeng.com, xpeng.com) By October 2025, company statements tied China deliveries to the fourth quarter of 2026 and overseas sales to 2027. Thursday’s Reuters interview frames 2027 as the year Xpeng expects large-scale production and broader delivery to begin. (yicaiglobal.com, reuters.com) The commercial pitch is aimed first at a narrow market, not everyday commuting. Xpeng previously put the price below 2 million yuan, or about $280,000 at the time, and Aridge has said it had thousands of pre-orders before mass production. (xpeng.com, xpeng.com) The harder part is still regulation and operations. Any real rollout depends on aircraft certification, pilot rules, airspace access and places to take off and land, which is why Xpeng has paired the vehicle with factory buildout, flight camps and local partnerships instead of promising open-ended urban air taxis. (aridge.com, faa.gov) If Xpeng hits its 2027 target, it will test whether “flying car” can become a premium product category rather than a trade-show demo. For now, the company has put a date on the calendar and tied it to a factory, a certification process and a specific vehicle. (reuters.com, aridge.com)