Flying Chinese cars aspire to be latest wonder of Gulf’s skies

Released from the trunk of a robust, wheeled mothership — essentially, an outsized, futuristic-looking people carrier — the electric aircraft can take off and land vertically like a conventional helicopter (Blloomberg photo)

In a city that’s no stranger to jaw-dropping sights, the Chinese-made flying car hovering over one of Dubai’s glitziest beach resorts still turned heads.

Demonstrating a manned flight of its new Land Aircraft Carrier to a select crowd in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, Guangzhou-based Aridge was making its latest pitch to become a transport option of choice for the Gulf’s super-rich.

Released from the trunk of a robust, wheeled mothership — essentially, an outsized, futuristic-looking people carrier — the electric aircraft can take off and land vertically like a conventional helicopter. It has already attracted 600 pre-orders, including from UAE-based Ali & Sons Group and Qatar’s Almana Group, according to Aridge.

Aridge’s flying car, which is controlled by a joystick and has an automated flight mode, will cost under $270,000 in the Chinese market. No price has yet been announced for the UAE.

“It is designed to be accessible and able to be flown by ordinary people, everyone — you don’t need to be a professional pilot,” Michael Chao Du, Aridge’s chief financial officer and vice president, said in an interview.

Aridge, a unit of XPENG Motors, which rebranded from XPENG AEROHT, is part of a growing trend in the energy-rich UAE — a nation famed for skyscrapers and ostentatious displays of technology and wealth. The company suffered a setback last month when one of its aircraft caught fire at a Chinese air show.

Advances in battery technology have led to dozens of flying taxi companies taking to the skies around the world. But with billions of dollars already spent on research and manufacturing, it’s not clear whether the industry has a viable future beyond the super-wealthy. Even some of the best-known startups in the sector have struggled to get funding and the mass market for the aircraft is unproven.

Joby Aviation, a Santa Cruz-based operator of so-called electrical vertical takeoff and landing craft, also plans to introduce an air taxi service to Dubai.

The first public manned flight of Aridge’s Land Aircraft Carrier at Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah on Sunday came after Aridge in September secured a special flight permit for an overseas manned aircraft from the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority. It will need other authorizations to operate and sell following this test phase.

Flying cars are “the future of mobility,” Ali Al Blooshi, an official from Dubai’s civil aviation authority, said at the event. “We expect them to become accessible and affordable soon as more companies enter the market.”

Aridge says it has begun mass production at a Chinese facility capable of producing 10,000 units a year. It expects the first consumer sales in 2027.