Aeroht becomes Aridge: Xpeng renames its flying car division

Aridge, formerly Xpeng Aeroht, has rebranded with a new name and logo as it prepares to scale up operations. The Chinese automaker’s flying car subsidiary has secured its largest overseas order to date — 600 aircraft from the Middle East. Series production at its newly completed Guangzhou plant is set to begin in 2026.

Xpeng aeroht flying car china cropped — Image: Xpeng Aeroht

In Europe, Xpeng has so far been known primarily as an electric car manufacturer. However, the Guangzhou-based company is active in several other fields. One of its most promising ventures is its flying car subsidiary, founded in 2013 under the name Xpeng Aeroht.

The unit was officially established in 2020 as a technology division majority-owned by Xpeng. The company plans to launch its first production model in 2026 and aims to become a leader in low-altitude VTOL aircraft. Recently, it drew attention after an accident during a test flight.

Ahead of series production, the division underwent a full rebranding, unveiled at an event in Dubai on 12 October. From now on, the company will operate under the name Aridge, signalling greater independence from Xpeng. The name combines the words “Air” and “Bridge”.

The production facility is operational

The Chinese manufacturer also introduced a new logo derived from the Chinese character for “fly”. At the same event, Aridge announced a major international deal with the Ali & Sons Group (UAE), Almana Group (Qatar), AlSayer Group (Kuwait), and the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce UAE. The agreement covers the delivery of 600 flying cars for the Middle East — reportedly the largest overseas order in the sector to date.

Aridge plans to launch operations in the Middle East as early as 2027. As part of the Dubai event, the company carried out its first manned demonstration flight outside China. Aridge says it has already received around 7,000 pre-orders for its modular “Land Aircraft Carrier” flying car.

The new production plant in Guangzhou was completed at the end of September. According to Aridge, it is the world’s first “intelligent” flying car factory, featuring automated production lines for large-scale manufacturing.

The site is designed for an annual capacity of 10,000 units, with mass production and first deliveries planned for 2026. Once fully operational, one flying car is expected to roll off the line every 30 minutes.

cnevpost.com

This article was first published by Elias Holdenried for electrive’s German edition.