Are we ready for Xpeng’s flying car?
Guangzhou, China — Founded only 12 years ago as a startup new energy vehicle brand, Xpeng has already made a name as a leading Chinese AI-driven mobility company that not only develops and manufactures smart EVs that can perform autonomous driving but it will also soon produce flying cars on a commercial scale.
With Xpeng’s rapid development and extensive use of AI, it is now reshaping the future of mobility with a full stack of advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) technology and intelligent in-car operating system in-house, along with core vehicle systems such as the powertrain and electrical/electronic architecture (EEA). With key offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Munich, and Amsterdam, Xpeng is also listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the Hong Kong Exchange. Its smart EVs are primarily manufactured in its Zhaoqing and Guangzhou, Guangdong province.
Xpeng invited a group of journalists and content creators to its headquarters, production facilities and research center in Guangzhou, China this week, a month prior to its official grand launch in the Philippines. Aside from conducting a test drive of its various models offering autonomous driving and witness the global launch of its G9L 5-seater premium large SUV, it also took the opportunity to showcase Xpeng’s various flying cars in various stages of development under the brand Aridge.
The company also confirmed that “it will officially launch in the Philippines this September through a grand public event that marks the brand’s formal debut in the country.” It further added that it will be open to members of the public, the launch will offer Filipino consumers their first opportunity to experience the Xpeng brand and learn more about the company’s vision for intelligent mobility. Xpeng Philippines said that it will bring in and showcase the X2 flying car model during the September launch.
The Philippine brand launch will see the debut of two models, Xpeng’s flagship 7-seater X9 and the Xpeng L03 crossover. The X9 showcases its vision of intelligent mobility through executive-class comfort, AI-powered technologies, and a premium cabin designed for modern families, business leaders, and tech-forward professionals. The Xpeng L03 on the otherhand, is an intelligent SUV coupe that is already capable of autonomous driving. The recent Guanzhou visit enable this writer to experience first-hand how much seamless and human-like its AI-powered autonomous driving can be and even placed a partition in between the driver and front passenger seat to let us guess who was driving the car, if it was the human driver or the car itself. Xpeng Philippines is the company’s direct subsidiary and national sales and marketing company. It will also soon announce its lineup of Metro Manila and Metro Cebu dealerships, targeting the more premium Chinese NEV segment.
Following the development of its one-man T1 and X1 as well as the two-man X2 multi-axis and multi-propeller flying cars, Xpeng is placing a huge bet on low-altitude economy as China’s next trillion-level industry by pioneering two distinct flight systems for low-altitude travel. First is the A868 full tilt-rotor hybrid flying car which is tailored for multi-passenger long-range travel and the Land Aircraft Carrier that comes with its own modular flying vehicle designed for personal short-range flight.
The A868 features a full tilt-rotor configuration powered by Xpeng’s Kunpeng Super Extended-Range Architecture with a 500km range and flying speeds up to 360 km/h. The six-seater cabin is designed for both business and leisure travel and is currently in the crucial stages of flight verification so commercial production is expected to start soon. The Land Aircraft Carrier would be the first to achieve commercial production, with global orders surpassing 7,000 units, Xpeng announced that it will begin production towards the end of 2026. It comes with the world’s first intelligent air cockpit and its four-axis integrated single-stick control system is designed for new pilots to learn how to fly it with ease. A full suite of safety-redundancy system, protecting propulsion, power, control, and communication will give the six-axis, six-propeller dual-ducted modular flying car the ability to safely flying for 30 minutes and can be recharged by its mothership Land Carrier for six times at full charge.
The Aridge plant is the world’s first modern flying-car production facility, combining aviation-grade quality with automotive-grade efficiency, targeting 10,000 units annual capacity making one aircraft every 30 minutes at full operation
