Forget Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster ‘Rocket’ — a Chinese rival has 7,000+ orders for its nearly $300K flying car, due 2027

Xpeng’s vehicle will sell for $300,000; as you might expect, though, it likely won’t be sold in the U.S. anytime soon due to a host of regulatory and political reasons.

It’s also not what you might be imagining. Xpeng’s device is actually two vehicles — a six-wheel van that can be driven on roadways, that houses a two-seat deployable flying car in, for lack of a better word, its trunk. The “flying” part of the flying car is closer to a helicopter and has no wheels.

Air taxis near reality as well

While Xpeng’s vehicle might not be what people envisioned when it comes to flying cars, it’s not the only one that’s in the prototype phase.

In March, the U.S. Department of Transportation approved eight pilot programs across 26 states that allowed eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft to begin real-world testing. That will allow for air-taxi service in select cities, while data from the pilot companies will be used to help the FAA develop regulations to let this technology scale while keeping airspaces over cities safe.

Like the Xpeng, eVTOL vehicles aren’t street-legal, but they do help passengers avoid gridlock and rush hour issues by soaring over the highways, resulting in a much shorter ride. Big corporations have invested hundreds of millions of dollars into them to ensure they become a reality. Toyota (NYSE:TM), for instance, spent $500 million to buy into Joby in October 2024. Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) is also an investor, investing $80 million into Joby. United (NASDAQ:UAL), meanwhile, in 2022, invested $10 million in Archer Aviation and $15 million in Eve Air Mobility.

The Musk factor

As you might expect, Elon Musk isn’t sitting this out. Last month, Tesla showed off a prototype vehicle that used high-pressured bursts of gas to flip mid-air, though there are voluminous unanswered questions about the vehicle, including whether it will actually be made, what it will cost and where (if it is real) it can be flown.

Xpeng’s vehicle is real, but it still faces some of the restrictions that could hamstring Tesla. The flying part of the flying car won’t be able to fly in cities initially. It will be limited to approved park areas and inaccessible areas for emergency services workers. But it’s a first step — and CEO Deli Zhao says they’ll be available beyond China soon.

“All cars in the future will grow wings and all transportation will move from two dimensions to three dimensions,” he said, adding he had signed agreements with the United Arab Emirates and countries in south-east Asia as well. “We aim to enter the European market as soon as possible.”