Xpeng is nearly ready to begin selling its flying cars. Aside from the legal, regulatory and logistical hurdles that come with such an endeavor, there is the very important matter of driving, or flying, the plus-sized mobility solutions.
The company is preparing to launch its "Land Aircraft Carrier Air Module," also known under its project code: X3-F. In May, Xpeng Aeroht announced that the aircraft had been accepted by the Civil Aviation Administration of China's South Central Regional Administration, a notable milestone on its way to launch.
In December 2024, the flying car made its maiden voyage, completing a journey in the skies above Shanghai's Lujiazui Central Business District.
That model features a three-axle, six-wheel drive system. It has 800-volt electric architecture, just like the new Mercedes-Benz CLA, Chevrolet Silverado EV and Audi E-Tron GT.
It's made of carbon fiber, a material used in sports and race cars that is renowned for its light weight, approximately 40 to 50 percent lighter than aluminum and five times lighter than steel, by volume.
The cockpit allows for a 270-degree view for the pilot, something the company said provides users with "exceptional visibility and safety."
The design of Xpeng's flying car is not meant to resemble a traditional road-going vehicle, Wang Tan, vice president and chief designer of Xpeng Aeroht, the flying cars division of the larger Xpeng Motors company, told Newsweek. "I do want to distinguish from the normal cars, because it's a new species. So I try to use some language that I cannot use for the design [of traditional] cars," he said, calling the look of the model "lunar," "gorgeous" and "pure and simple."
He is an experienced helicopter pilot in addition to his roles at work and has flown the aircraft.
"You feel very quiet and very stable," he explained at IAA Mobility, an industry conference in Munich, Germany, last month. "It's very easy to learn. Helicopter took me about 40 hours to learn. But this one, [in] three to five minutes you can learn how to pilot."
A license is required to fly the models in China.
Xpeng has been conducting test flights of its flying cars in pre-production phases. Last month, the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVOTL) vehicles were involved in a collision in the sky during a rehearsal for an airshow in northeastern China.
The company said in a statement to CNN that the crash was due to "insufficient spacing." One person was injured in the incident.
Xpeng's eVOTLs are designed to operate in airspace below 3,000 feet. Commercial aircraft fly in Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) airspace in China, in defined routes, approximately 29,000 to 41,000 feet above the ground when at cruising altitude.
The company expects to begin deliveries of its flying car to reservation holders in early 2026. Tan told Newsweek that there are 5,000 orders for the vehicles already.
