Domestic flying cars are stepping into the public eye

Author | Chai Xuchen

Editor | Wang Xiaojun

Dunhuang, a "super IP" with rich cultural and tourism resources such as desert gobi, yardang landforms, and Mogao Caves, has become a testing ground for the commercialization of XPeng flying cars.

On October 28, accompanied by the buzzing sound of rotors, Huitian's "land aircraft carrier" split-type flying car took off, completing its first flight in the northwest region. After the maiden flight, Huitian and Dunhuang officially announced the launch of the first low-altitude self-driving tourism route in the northwest.

For Huitian, Dunhuang's "flying" is not only a technological integration of "poetry and distance," but also a key step in bringing flying cars into the public eye.

It is understood that this route provides a three-dimensional tourism network of "air corridor + ground experience," precisely targeting the high-end cultural tourism market. The route starts from the Singing Sand Mountain and Crescent Spring, connecting Crescent Spring Town, the Optoelectronic Expo Park, Yangguan and Yumenguan, and finally reaching the Yardang World Geopark.

Huitian is not going it alone. In this cooperation, the Dunhuang Municipal People's Government has provided policy and scenario support. At the same time, Huitian signed a flight camp cooperation intention letter and the first batch of 200 flying car procurement agreements with five companies: Hangzhou Gaozhitong General Aviation, Gansu Wanhua Industrial Group, Dunhuang Cultural Tourism Group, Dunhuang Feitian General Aviation, and Dunhuang Airport Economic Development.

These five companies have built a complete ecosystem from aviation ports, low-altitude operations to ground cultural tourism services. To ensure operations, the first phase will plan to build five exclusive flying camps along the route, which are expected to be completed and put into trial operation by July 2026.

This means that next year, everyone will be able to start "self-driving flying" from "self-driving travel."

Just as new energy vehicles have disrupted the industry, changes are also happening in the flying industry after electrification. The emergence of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft has provided a solution to the cost issues that previously limited the commercialization of low-altitude transportation and made it accessible to ordinary people. The era of "flying taxis" that everyone can afford seems to be just around the corner.

Starting from "big toys," letting everyone "play" in the wild is precisely Huitian's "sunshine strategy." The core supporting the "Dunhuang model" is Huitian's "land aircraft carrier," which is set to be mass-produced and delivered in 2026.

Currently, Huitian's flying car manufacturing base has been completed. Huitian founder Zhao Deli revealed to Wall Street News that the first batch of equipment has been installed and debugged at the factory, and currently, one aircraft can be produced in one hour. After the second batch of equipment arrives, the speed can be shortened to 30 minutes; the annual production capacity can reach 10,000 units.

In the domestic eVTOL industry, Huitian seems to have the potential to become a unicorn. "After the delivery of the first generation of products, our volume may be the largest," Zhao Deli said.

With the signing of the procurement agreement for 200 "land aircraft carriers" in Dunhuang, as well as a record order of 600 units in the Middle East two weeks ago, Huitian has pulled the trillion-level "low-altitude economy" from a grand concept into the eve of commercialization within reach However, to successfully commercialize eVTOL, simply building the aircraft is not enough; obtaining airworthiness certification is a prerequisite for eVTOL to commence commercialization. According to regulations, obtaining airworthiness qualifications for civil aircraft mainly involves design approval (TC), production approval (PC), and airworthiness approval (AC). The "land carrier" is striving to obtain the most critical and challenging TC certification.

Zhao Deli stated that once the domestic TC certification is obtained, Huitian will simultaneously promote overseas airworthiness certification. In his plan, future domestic and international orders will each account for half.

Dunhuang's cultural tourism flights and Dubai's "rich man's toys" address the demand for "play," which is Huitian's first step. But this is just the tip of the iceberg of its ambitions.

In China, the low-altitude economy is widely regarded as a trillion-level blue ocean. Data shows that the scale of the low-altitude economy is expected to be 3.2 times that of the high-altitude economy. The economic scale of China's civil aviation high-altitude transportation network is 17 trillion yuan, which suggests that the low-altitude economy could reach 50 trillion yuan.

Looking domestically, there are not many industries with such a huge scale and significant growth potential, which may present an opportunity for Huitian and other domestic players to overtake on a curve. "In the global consumer market, there are 90 million cars sold annually, and over a million luxury cars sold each year. There are quite a few wealthy individuals in China with purchasing power," Zhao Deli said.

Faced with such a vast market, Huitian's strategy is clear: a "two-step" or "dual-track" approach.

The first step: to enter the personal flight and short-distance sightseeing market with the "land carrier." Zhao Deli clearly stated that the goal is to sell cars and make money with the "land carrier," aiming for 10,000 units and 10 billion yuan in revenue per year, thereby "reserving tilt-rotor technology."

The second step: to enter the "air taxi" market with long-range commuter aircraft. This is the ultimate goal of solving intercity travel. Huitian is simultaneously developing a high-speed long-range flying car codenamed A868. This product, internally referred to as the "Alpha" of the sky, aims to carry 6 people, achieve a range of over 500 kilometers, and a speed of over 360 kilometers per hour.

Clearly, Huitian does not just want to create "toys for the rich," but hopes to become a key node in the future three-dimensional transportation network.

The vision for the future has been laid out, but returning to reality, flying cars integrate two major industries: aviation and automotive, and the complexity of their supply chain far exceeds that of a single field. Finding a balance between ensuring "aviation-grade precision" and achieving "automotive-grade efficiency" to build a stable, reliable, and cost-controllable supply chain system will be a crucial question for Huitian.

Zhao Deli told Wall Street Insight that flying vehicles will also have a "platform" similar to the automotive industry to reuse technology, greatly improving R&D efficiency. Zhao Deli admitted that platformization is a strong barrier for Huitian.

On the other hand, for the general public, flying cars remain a relatively distant and novel concept. How to convince the public of the absolute safety of "cars" flying overhead, and whether the price can be lowered to a level that can stimulate the mass market, are questions that the entire industry needs to gradually solve over a long period with substantial investment But it is undeniable that Dunhuang's rotor has stirred the silent sky for a thousand years. With the completion of the "ten-thousand vehicle level" factory in Guangzhou, a technology-driven "personal flight era" is accelerating from dream to reality