Xpeng Aero HT unveils 'flying car' that's part van, part eVTOL at CES 2025

Xpeng Aero HT, the aerospace company under Chinese EV startup Xpeng, unveiled at CES 2025 its "modular flying car," the Land Aircraft Carrier. It's essentially an electric minivan with a small folding eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicle tucked in the back, which can be rolled out and launched into flight.

The company says it already has 3,000 intent orders for the vehicle and that it plans to begin mass production this year, with first deliveries planned for 2026. Potential customers and use cases for the vehicle include thrill-seeking individuals with deep pockets - the Land Aircraft Carrier is priced "below USD300,000" - and emergency search and rescue, according to an Aero HT spokesperson.

Aero HT plans to launch in China first before considering international markets.

Once you've had your fun in the skies and come back down to earth, the mothership reconnects to the eVTOL, folding its arms and storing it back in the trunk.

If this sounds a bit far-fetched to you, you're not alone, but Brian Gu, vice chairman and president of Xpeng, said the Land Aircraft Carrier has received its type certification - which means the vehicle meets the requirements to be produced - and has completed its first public crewed flight demonstration.

In the U.S., eVTOL startups like Beta Technologies and Joby Aviation have done piloted flights, but Archer Aviation still has not.

Aside from type certification, Aero HT will also need to get its production certificate, which will allow it to mass-produce its units, and then its airworthiness certificate.

Aero HT's production facility in Guangzhou is already under construction and scheduled to start production toward the end of this year. At capacity, the facility will be able to produce 10,000 vehicles, according to an Aero HT spokesperson.

Again, you might be wondering how the company plans to scale production to such incredible heights. Does Aero HT have ocean-sized pockets?

Again, for reference, Beta Technologies has raised USD1.15 billion, Joby has raised USD2.8 billion, and Archer has raised over USD3 billion, per PitchBook data.

TechCrunch has asked Xpeng Aero HT how much more money it thinks it will need to scale production in the next year and will update this story if we get an answer.

But given the company's long-term plans, more capital on the table will likely be necessary. The Land Aircraft Carrier modular flying car is just Phase 1. Aero HT has provided no timeline, but its second phase of aircraft products involves the creation of a high-speed, long-range tiltrotor flying car for use in an "integrated urban air mobility network" And the third phase is to develop an eVTOL flying car to enable "seamless, door-to-door, integrated land-air urban transportation system" according to a statement released by the company.

The company says the vehicle's safety features include fully redundant designs for propulsion, power, communications, flight control and operation, plus automatic rotor failure response. Aero HT added that it is in the process of testing 200 units to demonstrate reliability in adverse conditions.

And apparently, it's easy enough to fly. While owners will need to get certified to fly it legally, Xpeng says the vehicle's single-stick control simplifies operations. And if not, it can also fly in autonomous mode "thanks to intelligent flight assistance which includes one-touch takeoff, automated route planning, real-time airspace monitoring and landing vision assistance," according to the company.