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

Resumen detallado

Even though Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) just showed off its rocket-powered Roadster, which can propel itself into the air and perform acrobatics, the 21st century has so far suffered from…

Even though Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) just showed off its rocket-powered Roadster, which can propel itself into the air and perform acrobatics, the 21st century has so far suffered from a true dearth of flying cars despite the predictions of futurists — but that could change next year.

The CEO of Chinese flying car company XPeng says the company's low-altitude vehicle will be available to customers living in rural locations, as well as emergency services, in the second half of 2027. That's a little later than planned, but still represents a big step for people who have dreamed of flying cars since childhood.

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.

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.

As you…

Xpeng…

Inicio del artículo, extracto de Yahoo Finance. Para leer el resto, abra el artículo en el sitio del medio.