Xpeng Aeroht makes great leap skyward

Chinese carmaker Xpeng's aerial vehicle arm Xpeng Aeroht has begun construction of a manufacturing base for its modular flying cars in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, taking a lead worldwide to leverage an assembly line for large-scale production of such aerial vehicles.

The plant will produce Land Aircraft Carrier models with a projected annual capacity of 10,000 units, the company said.

Xpeng Aeroht recently completed an inaugural manned test flight of the air module. The modular flying car is scheduled for its global public flight debut at Airshow China, which is scheduled in Nov in Zhuhai, Guangdong, with presales beginning by the end of the year.

The modular flying car has ground and air modules which can autonomously separate and combine. The air module facilitates vertical takeoff for low-altitude flights, while the ground module ingeniously envelops the air module, allowing for ground transportation, according to the company.

The establishment of the flying car production facility plays an important role in Guangzhou's advancement in the low-altitude economy sector, said Shao Jingbo, deputy director of Guangzhou Development District's administrative committee.

An action plan for promoting the high-quality development of the low-altitude economy in Guangdong proposes to build a world-leading low-altitude economy hub in the province within three years, with the economic scale exceeding 300 billion yuan (USD41.4 billion) by 2026.

Guangdong will nurture a number of leading enterprises and specialized innovative companies in the low-altitude economy by supporting the development of the industry through government investment funds and establishing special funds through market-oriented approaches to guide more funds into key areas of the low-altitude economy, according to the plan, which was announced earlier this year.

Guangzhou will closely collaborate with Xpeng Aeroht to drive the flying car industry forward, reaching new heights and expanding the industry's impact on national economic growth, Shao said.

Qiu Mingquan, vice-president of Xpeng Aeroht, said earlier that the true arrival of flying cars in urban air mobility might take some time.

"But the modular flying car targeting individual users will be able to fly in the next five years because the land module can be driven and the air module can fly in some specific areas," said Qiu.