Aridge - known as XPeng AeroHT until an October 2025 rebrand - is the Guangzhou-based flying-car affiliate of EV maker XPeng, majority-owned by XPeng and its CEO He Xiaopeng.
Latest update Sep 7, 2026
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Its flagship Land Aircraft Carrier pairs a six-wheel hybrid van with a detachable two-seat eVTOL air module that the van stores, recharges, and auto-launches. The company has taken 7,000+ pre-orders at under RMB 2M apiece (including a 600-unit Middle East bulk order), completed the world's first flying-car mass-production factory in Guangzhou (first module off the line November 2025, initial ramp about 5,000 units/year scaling to a 10,000-unit design capacity), and has raised roughly $1B in equity. At IFA Berlin in September 2026 XPeng showed the Land Aircraft Carrier publicly in Europe for the first time; a spokesperson reaffirmed mass production in the second half of 2026 but said CAAC approval and end-customer deliveries are now expected in 2027, slipping the earlier late-2026 handover target. A confidential Hong Kong IPO remains filed (January 2026, JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley). A six-seat hybrid tiltrotor, the A868, is in flight testing.
heise.deUpdated Sep 7, 2026
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2026
Still confidentially filed as of September 2026 with JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley as underwriters; no public prospectus, pricing, or listing date has been disclosed. A listing could still come in 2026, which would make Aridge the first pure flying-car company on the HKEX.
2027
The late-2026 first-handover target slipped at IFA Berlin in September 2026, where a spokesperson said mass production still starts in the second half of 2026 (initial ~5,000 units/year) but CAAC approval and end-customer deliveries are now expected in 2027. The X3-F still has no type certificate; the July 22, 2026 CAAC fast-track compliance listing (with EHang, Volant, and AutoFlight) remains the latest formal certification step. Guangzhou has rolled the 1,000th X3-F propulsion unit (August 10, 2026) and CALB's aviation batteries are in mass production, so the constraint is regulatory rather than industrial.
2027
Fulfillment of the record 600-unit bulk order from Ali & Sons (UAE), Almana (Qatar), and ALSAYER (Kuwait) has not yet begun as of September 2026 and remains slated to start in 2027, following China deliveries - Aridge's first international sales, building on the Dubai manned-flight permit from the UAE GCAA. IFA comments in September 2026 kept the Gulf as a first-wave market alongside China.
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China's aviation regulator CAAC published its first airworthiness compliance roster for passenger eVTOL makers, naming four companies including XPeng affiliate Aridge, AutoFlight, and EHang's Guangzhou equipment unit. Companies on the list get streamlined certification processing, priority handling of application materials, and cross-batch recognition of phased test results, shortening the path to commercial eVTOL operations in China.
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The world's first modular flying car: a six-wheel, 4–5-seat extended-range-hybrid 800V 'mothership' van that stores, recharges, and auto-launches a detachable two-seat eVTOL air module (X3-F: six rotors plus two ducted fans, ~50 kWh battery, 30→80% recharge in 18 minutes, manual single-stick or autonomous flight). Combined system range exceeds 1,000 km on the ground.
Six-seat hybrid-electric full-tiltrotor aircraft unveiled at XPeng AI Day in November 2025 - Aridge's move from short-hop flying cars into longer-range regional air mobility, with a range above 500 km and top speed above 360 km/h.
Fifth-generation two-seat electric octocopter demonstrator with a 130 km/h top speed and ~35-minute flight time. Not for sale - it validated XPeng's eVTOL technology and still tours international shows.
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Crunchbase est. 1,000–5,000
no customer deliveries yet (air module still awaiting CAAC airworthiness certification); funded by ≈$1B cumulative equity plus an $800M+ bank credit line
(incl. 600-unit Middle East bulk order); 2026 production allocation reported sold out
Initial ramp ~5,000 units/year, scaling to a 10,000 units/year design capacity (120,000 m² Guangzhou plant; ~1 aircraft per 30 min at full rate) - reaffirmed by an Aridge spokesperson at IFA Berlin in September 2026
(six-in-one integrated design, 800V architecture) rolled off the Guangzhou line on August 10, 2026 - state media describe it as the largest production run of 800V eVTOL propulsion units in the industry to date; assembly line automation exceeds 60%, with fully automated end-of-line testing
X3-F air module: CAAC TC application accepted Mar 2024, PC application accepted May 2025, named to CAAC's first eVTOL airworthiness fast-track compliance list Jul 22 2026 (with EHang, Volant, AutoFlight) - type certificate not yet granted; at IFA Berlin in September 2026 Aridge said approval is now expected in 2027
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Operating status
Pilot production - first deliveries slipped to 2027
Aridge's Guangzhou plant (completed September 2025, first module off the line November 3, 2025) is in pilot production, with roughly 20 aircraft in build during an April 2026 press visit and CALB mass-producing its aviation batteries since March 2026. Pre-orders still sit around 7,000, mainly from China and the Gulf, and the 2026 production allocation has been reported sold out. On August 10, 2026 the 1,000th X3-F electric propulsion unit rolled off the line - what state media call the industry's largest production run of 800V eVTOL propulsion units to date. At IFA Berlin (September 4-8, 2026) a spokesperson reaffirmed mass production in the second half of 2026 at an initial ~5,000 units/year, later 10,000, but said CAAC approval and end-customer deliveries are now expected in 2027, slipping the earlier late-2026 handover target. The CAAC named Aridge to its first eVTOL airworthiness fast-track compliance list on July 22, 2026; a type certificate has still not been granted. A confidential HK IPO remains on file from January 2026.
Land Aircraft Carrier Sales (China)
The planned core business: consumer sales of the modular flying car at under RMB 2M, against 7,000+ pre-orders, once CAAC certification unlocks deliveries. CALB supplies the aviation batteries at mass-production scale.
International Sales (Middle East first)
A 600-unit GCC bulk order via dealers Ali & Sons (UAE), Almana (Qatar), and ALSAYER (Kuwait) is slated for fulfillment starting 2027, following the first public manned flight in Dubai under a UAE GCAA permit.
SkyPort / SkyCamp flying-experience network
A planned China-wide low-altitude experience network around the Land Aircraft Carrier: SkyPort flagship camps combining showroom, delivery, and flight; SkyPilot training bases for pilots and instructors; and SkyCamp sites around cities for recreational flying. Aridge is recruiting ecosystem partners for the network.
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How past announced dates turned out.
0/1announced date hit on time
First Land Aircraft Carrier customer deliveries
Target Late 2026 · Resolved Sep 3, 2026
At IFA Berlin in early September 2026, an Aridge/XPeng spokesperson said mass production of the Land Aircraft Carrier is still expected in the second half of 2026 but that CAAC approval and end-customer deliveries are now expected in 2027. That slips the late-2026 first-handover target He Xiaopeng restated at the April 2026 Beijing Auto Show; no type certificate has been granted.
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2026
Land Aircraft Carrier debuts in Europe at IFA Berlin
XPeng's first IFA appearance in Berlin (City Cube, stand B142, September 4-8 2026) put the Land Aircraft Carrier on a European show floor. A spokesperson said mass production is still expected in the second half of 2026 at an initial ~5,000 units/year (scaling to 10,000), against about 7,000 pre-orders mainly from China and the Gulf, but that CAAC approval and end-customer deliveries are now expected in 2027 rather than late 2026.
1,000th propulsion unit rolls off the Guangzhou line
On August 10, 2026 the 1,000th X3-F electric propulsion unit - a six-in-one integrated 800V unit - rolls off Aridge's Guangzhou production line, which state media describe as the industry's largest production run of 800V eVTOL propulsion units to date. The line runs above 60% automation with seven-axis robots and fully automated end-of-line testing; founder Zhao Deli calls the milestone the company's shift from independent R&D toward large-scale manufacturing.
Confidential HK IPO filing, ~$200M raise, pre-orders top 7,000
Aridge confidentially files for a Hong Kong IPO in January 2026 with JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley as underwriters, raises ~$200M in March (bringing total equity raised to roughly $1B), and logs 90+ orders in a single day at the April Beijing Auto Show as CALB begins mass-producing its aviation batteries. Deliveries are reaffirmed for 'within 2026'.
2025
First flying module rolls off the Guangzhou mass-production line; A868 unveiled
On November 3, 2025 the first X3-F flying module rolls off the line at Aridge's 120,000 m² Guangzhou plant - the world's first flying-car mass-production facility, with a 10,000-unit/year design capacity. Days later, Aridge unveils the A868, a six-seat hybrid full-tiltrotor with >500 km range and >360 km/h top speed, already in flight testing.
Rebrands to Aridge with first public manned flight in Dubai; 600-unit Middle East order
In October 2025 the company rebrands from XPeng AeroHT to Aridge ('Air' + 'Bridge') at a Dubai event where the Land Aircraft Carrier makes its first public manned flight abroad - the first Chinese flying-car firm granted a UAE GCAA manned flight permit - and lands a 600-unit bulk order from GCC dealers Ali & Sons, Almana, and ALSAYER, pushing global pre-orders past 7,000.
$250M Series B; airshow collision mars test campaign
Completes a $250M Series B in July 2025 (a $150M B1 tranche led by Guangzhou state investors in August 2024 plus a $100M B2) at a ~$1B valuation. In September, two eVTOLs collide during a Changchun Air Show rehearsal flown with insufficient separation; one aircraft crashes and burns, injuring the pilot.
2024
CAAC accepts X3-F type-certificate application; Land Aircraft Carrier debuts
The CAAC accepts the type-certificate application for the Land Aircraft Carrier's X3-F air module in March 2024. The modular flying car makes its first public flight in November 2024 and opens pre-sales at under RMB 2M, drawing roughly 2,000 initial pre-orders.
2022
2021
2020
2013
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$1.8Bdisclosed across 4 rounds with a stated amount
Cumulative disclosed raise · dated rounds
Series A
October 2021
IDG Capital, 5Y Capital, XPENG Inc.; Sequoia China, Eastern Bell, GGV, GL Ventures, Yunfeng Capital
Bank Credit Facility
November 2022
Four Chinese banks (credit, not equity)
Series B (B1 + B2)
August 2024 – July 2025
B1 ($150M) led by three Guangzhou state-owned investors; B2 ($100M) undisclosed - ~$1B valuation
Pre-IPO Equity Round
March 2026
GL Ventures, HongShan (Sequoia China), Gaorong Ventures, Fortune Capital - total equity raised ≈$1B
