XPENG AEROHT has given more details of progress on ‘Land Aircraft Carrier’ during its international debut at CES 2025.
With over 3,000 intent orders already received, the concept poised to become the world’s first mass-produced modular flying car, with deliveries planned for 2026, reports the company. The ‘Land Aircraft Carrier’ has achieved significant milestones over the past year, including the acceptance of its type certificate application—a crucial step toward regulatory approval—and its first public manned flight demonstration“,” said Dr. Brian GU, Vice Chairman and President of XPENG.
Vice Chairman and President of XPENG, Dr. Brian Gu, giving a speech at CES 2025
In 2024, the company secured USD150 million in Series B1 financing and began constructing the world’s first mass-production facility for modular flying cars in Guangzhou, China. Spanning approximately 180,000 square meters, this facility will produce up to 10,000 air modules annually.
“Our goal is to bring the freedom to fly to everyone while pioneering innovation and industry firsts in low-altitude mobility,” continued Dr. Brian GU, “By focusing on both near-term ambitions and long-term possibilities, we aim to meet the evolving demands of advanced mobility through groundbreaking, scalable solutions.”
To achieve its mission, XPENG AEROHT has developed a phased product strategy:
- Phase 1 – ‘Land Aircraft Carrier’ Modular Flying Car: Make personal flight accessible by simplifying operational processes and enhancing the user experience. This phase explores new possibilities for future mobility and serves as a valuable piloting stage for public services.
- Phase 2 – High-Speed, Long-Range Tiltrotor Flying Car: Address typical aerial transport scenarios and collaborate with public authorities, regulators and other stakeholders to develop an integrated urban air mobility network.
- Phase 3 – eVTOL Flying Car: Enable seamless, door-to-door, integrated land-air urban transportation systems.
The Land Aircraft Carrier air module to be housed entirely within the trunk of the ground module. The ground-based “mothership” transports the air module to any location, where a single command triggers autonomous separation: the air module’s arms extend, landing gear deploys, and it takes flight. Upon landing, the ground module precisely reconnects with the air module, folding its arms and storing it back in the trunk. The ground module measures approximately 5.5 meters in length, 2 meters in width, and 2 meters in height, fitting standard parking spaces and garages without requiring special storage.
The design is completed with a floating roof, dark wheel arches, and foldable rearview mirrors that retract into the fenders when parked. The vehicle incorporates an 800-volt silicon carbide range extension power platform, achieving a combined CLTC range exceeding 1,000 km to meet long-distance travel needs.
The air module is powered by an 800-volt silicon carbide high-voltage platform, the air module boasts leading battery energy density and a compact propulsion system. To meet the required aviation and automotive standards, the intelligent flight control system includes triple-redundancy fly-by-wire technology, electronic fencing, multi-source navigation and dual environmental adaptability and electromagnetic compatibility.
The air module’s safety features include fully redundant designs for propulsion, power, communications, flight control and operation, plus automatic rotor failure response within milliseconds.
“Rigorous testing across 200 units is in progress,” says the company.The single-stick control simplifies operation, making it extremely easy for every user to learn how to fly. Flying in either manual or autonomous mode is accessible thanks to intelligent flight assistance which includes one-touch takeoff, automated route planning, real-time airspace monitoring and landing vision assistance.
For more information
https://www.aeroht.com/