XPENG shows flying car in Dubai

XPENG AEROHT, the flying‑car arm of Chinese EV maker XPENG, demonstrated its latest “Land Aircraft Carrier” over Dubai, marking a high‑profile push into the Middle East market. The system pairs a road “mothership” vehicle with a detachable air module; the company showcased the complete detachment, flight and reattachment sequence during the public test. The craft supports both automatic one‑touch route planning with automated takeoff and landing, and a manual single‑stick control mode that consolidates six functions into one joystick for one‑handed operation.

XPENG AEROHT reported securing 600 orders in the region—its largest overseas bulk purchase to date—and said it aims to officially launch the product in the regional market by 2027. Founder Zhao Deli cited Dubai’s openness, strong market demand and supportive government policies as decisive factors for staging the demo there and expressed confidence in the Middle East’s future mobility market.

XPENG AEROHT positions the mothership–air‑module concept as a solution for combined ground‑air mobility, addressing logistics such as charging, storage and last‑mile connectivity while offering operational flexibility. By providing automated operations and a reliable detachment/reattachment mechanism in real conditions and announcing substantial regional pre‑orders, the company seeks to transition from prototype demonstrations to commercial rollout.

The Dubai event highlights growing international competition in the emerging flying‑car sector and underscores regulatory, infrastructure and certification challenges ahead. With a 2027 regional launch target, XPENG AEROHT will need to secure approvals, integrate into urban airspace frameworks, and establish maintenance and training networks. If those hurdles are cleared, the company’s model could accelerate adoption of hybrid ground‑air transport in cities with favorable policies and strong purchasing power.

Overall, the flight demonstrated technical progress and commercial appetite for roadable aircraft, while reinforcing Dubai’s role as a testing ground for advanced mobility and illustrating how state and business cooperation can support the international expansion of Chinese aerospace startups.