XPeng to Launch $500,000 ‘Flying Car’ Next Year

• Chinese manufacturer XPeng has announced plans to put its AEROHT Land Aircraft Carrier on sale as early as next year.
• The vehicle comprises a 5.5 metres six-wheeled ute that houses a small quadcopter drone.
• Priced at AUD$472,000, the vehicle is being readied for China only.

Flying cars have always felt like the final frontier of automotive ingenuity. Teething troubles centred around regulations and governance have made the pipe-dream difficult to achieve, but it appears the gap between sci-fi and reality is finally closing. Chinese manufacturer XPeng has announced plans to put its AEROHT Land Aircraft Carrier on sale as early as next year, complete with a whopping AUD$472,000 price tag in its native market.

Admittedly, the challenge for flying cars to make the jump towards commercial reality has been ambition, and Xpeng has wisely dialled back its approach. When compared to the earlier iterations of flying cars, the proposed AEROHT Land Aircraft Carrier is a far more realistic solution, representing two cars rolled into one.

In essence, XPeng is planning on making a large six-wheeled ute that houses a large drone, which is essentially the ‘flying car’. Being a small quadcopter, you would be able to do fixed, small intercity routes for now in China, while in the future, less stringent regulations would mean longer flights. 

With a six-rotor design and foldable arms, the flying car does cut an impressive figure and the carbon fibre construction, while compact, boasts enough space for two passengers. The range is about 20km only, and that means a short flying time of 15 minutes or a short run to the shops before it must return to the ute for a charge. Speaking of which, the massive six-wheeled leviathan or ‘Mothership’ as XPeng puts it succinctly, can charge the flying car about six times and has a range of about 1000km itself from a range extender powertrain. 

There were challenges in making the ute fit in standard parking spaces while also making room to store the flying car. In the end, while being big at 5.5 metres, there is no requirement for an additional trailer to transport the eVTOL, and it takes about three minutes for the flying car to unfold from the truck. 

Of course, along with a car license, buyers would also need to have a modified version of a pilot’s license and must undergo training before buying one. While XPeng states that the controls for the flying car have been simplified in line with a helicopter, a pilot training program is essential.

First unveiled last year, the AEROHT Land Aircraft Carrier, for now, is being readied for China only, and while global buyers are interested, the complex issue of regulations and safety will be a major hurdle. If launched in Australia, it would be the first flying car on sale, although, yet again, it will take years before the regulations allow a car like this to be put on sale.