Xpeng's Flying Car Boom: Is Low-Altitude Economy Really Taking Off?

 

So here’s the latest on Xpeng’s flying car, and it’s pretty wild. The company just landed a massive 60 billion RMB order for their flying car, called the "Land Aircraft Carrier." Yep, that’s 3000 pre-orders, the biggest order in the eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) market to date. This is a huge deal for the flying car industry, especially since the whole sector is still in its early days. But as exciting as it sounds, I’ve got a few thoughts on whether we’re really about to see flying cars become a reality or if this is just another overhyped tech moment.

 

Xpeng’s flying car is packed with value. Priced under 2 million RMB, it includes both a 6-wheel “mother ship” and a flying vehicle, which can cover over 1000 km on the ground and fly up to 6 times on a full charge and fuel. Compare that to competitors like EHang’s EH216, which costs 2.39 million RMB, has a 30 km range, and is just a drone-like vehicle without a car component. So yeah, Xpeng’s offer looks like a pretty solid deal.

 

But here’s the real issue: commercialization. Sure, they’ve got the orders, but they still need to get all the required certifications from China’s civil aviation authorities, and the first deliveries won’t happen until 2026. That’s a lot of time for other companies, like EHang, who are already showing serious growth (1.02 billion RMB revenue in Q2 2024) and scaling up their deliveries.

 

I think Xpeng might be leading in terms of orders, but the real challenge is whether they can deliver. They’re still missing the key licenses needed for mass production, and delays in tech projects are a real killer—especially in such a competitive market. Plus, supply chain issues have been a big problem for Xpeng in the past, so there’s definitely some risk here.

 

And don’t forget the economic landscape. There’s definitely a push for low-altitude air travel in China, with cities like Shenzhen and Hefei offering subsidies for eVTOLs. But these vehicles are still facing massive regulatory, safety, and infrastructure challenges before they can become a regular part of our daily commute. That said, if anyone has the money and ambition to make it happen, it’s Xpeng.

 

 

Stock-wise, Xpeng has been a bit shaky lately. Yesterday, the stock dropped 5.39%, mainly due to news that Trump plans to scrap the EV tax credit. Not great news for EV stocks, and it definitely hurt the sentiment around Xpeng’s future growth, at least in the short term.

 

But with all this buzz about their flying car, do you think Xpeng’s stock will bounce back?