Xpeng Aridge A868: The eVTOL That Will Turn the Sky into a Highway
- Published on 06/11/2025 7:22
- Modified on 06/11/2025 8:17
During its AI Day 2025, Xpeng unveiled the A868, a tiltrotor eVTOL boasting a record-breaking range and slated for production starting in 2026.
What if the highways of the future were… in the sky? During its 2025 keynote, the Chinese manufacturer Xpeng unveiled a machine that seems straight out of a science fiction movie: the Aridge (a blend of Air and Bridge) A868, an eVTOL capable of carrying six people at speeds over 360 km/h with a 500-kilometer range.
But behind these futuristic promises lies a very concrete strategy: industrializing personal flight. Why? Because the A868 is not just a simple “flying car” concept. Beneath its light aircraft silhouette hides a hybrid-electric architecture called Kunpeng Super Extended-Range, developed by Xpeng to combine power, quietness, and endurance.
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Its tiltrotors allow it to take off vertically before switching to horizontal flight, a solution inspired by military tiltrotors adapted here for civilian mobility.
With its six-seat cabin, the A868 is not aimed at Sunday dreamers but at busy professionals for whom the sky could soon replace the highway.
Xpeng: from road to sky
The most impressive aspect isn’t just the technology, but the speed of execution. The project is no longer at the PowerPoint stage: the A868 has entered its flight verification phase, the last step before full-scale testing. And to show this is not a one-off stunt, Xpeng has opened the world’s first assembly line dedicated to eVTOL production in Guangzhou.
An ultra-modern factory where, at full capacity, one aircraft will roll out every 30 minutes. The target production rate? 10,000 vehicles per year. A never-before-seen scale in aviation that will overshadow helicopters!
At Aridge, everything is designed to make flying as intuitive as driving a car. The cockpit is controlled via a single four-axis joystick and a central screen, an approach dubbed “single-hand flight.” The manufacturer promises that a novice user could master the aircraft after individualized training, a revolution in a field previously reserved for certified pilots.
The bet on industrial realism
Safety is not overlooked: redundant systems, intelligent flight control, six rotors to ensure landing even in case of simultaneous failure of two diagonal motors.
While the A868 prepares for its first tests, Aridge is refining its other product: the Land Aircraft Carrier, a more compact eVTOL whose pre-orders already exceed 7,000 units. The first unit came off the line on November 3, 2025, marking the start of pilot production.
Behind these impressive numbers lies a philosophy: to produce eVTOLs as one produces cars. Automation, efficiency, standardization — all words foreign to traditional aviation but familiar to Xpeng, which was born on the road before aiming for the sky.
The awkward question remains: when?
For now, the A868 has not yet obtained certification, neither in China nor elsewhere. The promises for 2026 seem ambitious, and urban airspace remains a regulatory battleground. But if anyone can speed up the pace, it’s definitely Xpeng.
The company, which made the intelligent electric car a mass-market product, now wants to open the sky to everyone. And with the A868, it at least offers a convincing illusion of that.
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This page is translated from the original post "Xpeng Aridge A868 : l’eVTOL qui transformera le ciel en autoroute" in French.
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