XPENG secures 1st overseas orders for 600 ARIDGE Land Aircraft Carrier ‘flying car’
October 15, 2025
In a defining moment for advanced air mobility (AAM), XPENG’s flying car subsidiary (now rebranded ARIDGE) has completed the first public manned flight of its Land Aircraft Carrier (LAC) in Dubai.
The demonstration, held on 12 October in front of UAE royalty, Chinese diplomats, and over 100 global media outlets, was the company’s first overseas manned flight and the Middle East debut of its modular flying car.
Flying in fully piloted mode, the aircraft lifted off from a helipad before performing a controlled circuit over Dubai’s coastal zone, showing off its autonomous detachment and re-attachment capabilities.
The event followed a significant regulatory milestone: on 10 September, ARIDGE became the first Chinese flying-car company to secure a Special Flight Permit from the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), alongside a cooperation agreement with the Ras Al Khaimah Transport Authority.
600 orders for the Land Aircraft Carrier from across the Gulf
ARIDGE also announced 600 confirmed orders for the Land Aircraft Carrier from a coalition of leading Gulf distributors, including Ali & Sons Group (UAE), Almana Group (Qatar), AlSayer Group (Kuwait), and the Chinese Business Council in the UAE.
The deal is the largest overseas bulk order in the flying car sector to date. Combined with its existing backlog, ARIDGE now claims more than 7,000 global orders.
The Gulf will serve as ARIDGE’s first international consumer market, with sales expected to begin by 2027. The region’s wealth, infrastructure ambition, and policy openness to emerging mobility technologies make it an ideal launchpad for early deployment.
“The Middle East is both a strategic market and a valued partner,” said Michael Du, CFO and Vice President of ARIDGE. “With its forward-looking vision and appetite for innovation, it’s the perfect place to begin our globalisation journey.”
Inside the Land Aircraft Carrier: The world’s first modular flying car
The Land Aircraft Carrier is an ambitious departure from the conventional eVTOL concept. Rather than a single integrated aircraft, it combines two interoperable modules: a ground “mothership” and a detachable air module. This creates a system that can switch seamlessly between driving and flight.
Ground module
- Six-wheel, tri-axle drive platform that stores, charges, and transports the air module
- Designed for autonomous docking and deployment via one-touch command
- Offers all-terrain mobility and acts as a portable hangar
Air module (codename X3-F)
- Multirotor configuration capable of vertical take-off and landing
- Dual flight modes: fully automatic and manual via an intuitive single-stick control
- Redundant propulsion, communication, and power systems for safety
- Autonomous route planning, 3D vision, and landing-assist systems
In automatic mode, the system handles navigation, take-off, and landing with a single command. In manual mode, the joystick combines six functions into one, allowing one-handed piloting, an innovation aimed at making “flying as easy as driving.”
The LAC entered mass production in 2025, backed by ARIDGE’s newly completed intelligent manufacturing facility in Guangzhou, capable of building up to 10,000 vehicles annually. Customer deliveries are due to start in 2026.
From XPENG AEROHT to ARIDGE: a new identity for personal aviation
The Dubai event also coincided with the company’s global rebrand. XPENG AEROHT will now operate as ARIDGE, a name derived from “Air” and “Bridge,” reflecting its mission to connect sky and earth.
“Freedom to Fly has always been our mission,” said Zhao Deli, Founder of ARIDGE. “This rebrand marks our leap from vision to reality. We are creating a new category of mobility and redefining the boundary between air and ground travel.”
ARIDGE has developed seven generations of flying-car prototypes over 12 years, backed by $600 million in R&D investment and a team of 1,200 engineers. The company has filed 965 patents, including 675 invention patents across China and global markets, and is in the process of building a mass production factory in Guangzhou.
Its next platform, the A868, will extend the company’s reach into business and mobility services. The high-speed, long-range aircraft will feature a tiltrotor configuration, hybrid-electric powertrain, six-seat cabin, and a 500 km range, with a top speed exceeding 360 km/h.
What Dubai’s flying car milestone means for advanced air mobility
ARIDGE’s Dubai debut signals that the globalisation phase of flying-car development has begun.
While the United States and Europe remain regulatory testbeds for eVTOL certification, China and the Gulf are moving faster toward public demonstrations and commercial pre-sales. By aligning itself with proactive Middle Eastern authorities, ARIDGE gains a rare combination of market visibility and early regulatory legitimacy.
The company’s modular design also addresses several of AAM’s long-standing bottlenecks:
- Infrastructure readiness: the detachable air unit removes the need for dedicated vertiports
- Range and recharging: the ground module doubles as a mobile base and power supply
- Public adoption: the design looks and behaves like a car, easing user familiarity
Still, challenges remain. Full certification by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) is ongoing, with type and production certificates under review. International validation by EASA or the FAA will take years, and questions persist around airspace integration, emergency procedures, and insurance.
Even so, ARIDGE’s success in Dubai offers a glimpse of what’s next.
