Do Flying Cars Exist Today? (If So, Who's Making Them?)
Flying cars have consistently been used as a sign of peak technological advancement and have often been featured in cartoons, books, and movies depicting the future. But this groundbreaking invention may be closer to reality than you think. Chinese electric vehicle maker XPENG has been sharing videos of its flying car concept, the Land Aircraft Carrier, for the past three years. But it only completed its first public flight in early November 2024 at the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition. Spectators watched the car drive to the front of the event and then take off into the sky, performing linear acceleration, a spiral ascent, and more at low altitudes.
The first functioning flying car for mass consumption doesn't work as seamlessly as it does in the movies, however. The car, which resembles a Cybertruck in style, carries and recharges the air module, which takes about five minutes to be released from the inside of the ground vehicle. While it may not be exactly the sci-fi fantasy some car enthusiasts have envisioned, it's definitely an exciting advancement — and it's not out of reach.
How much do flying cars cost?
At this point, it's no secret that China's EV vehicle market has surpassed that of the United States. Now it looks like it will be far beyond America in the flying car category as well. While flying car prototypes have been revealed here and there, XPENG's founder, Zhao Deli, announced at the airshow that a factory is currently being constructed to start production of the Land Aircraft Carrier, with mass production planned for the third quarter of 2025.
The six-wheeled van and its two-person quadcopter will be sold for $276,000. The annual capacity will be 10,000 units, and they will start being delivered to customers in 2026. XPENG claims that it received 2,000 orders right after the demonstration, so flying car believers may have to act fast if they want to secure one of the first 10,000 Land Aircraft Carriers. It's currently unclear how the flying vehicle will perform (and what the rules for having a flying vehicle will be), but XPENG has become one of China's leaders in the EV market with a focus on extended-range vehicles that are cost-effective compared to the competition.