Last Updated:
Two flying cars collided mid-air during Changchun Air Show rehearsals in China.
Videos captured the fiery wreckage on the ground as fire crews scrambled to contain the blaze. (Image Credit: X)
What was billed as a showcase of cutting-edge technology ended in disaster when two flying cars collided mid-air during rehearsals for the Changchun Air Show in north-east China this week- an accident that has cast fresh doubt on how ready the futuristic vehicles really are.
The aircraft- both built by Xpeng AeroHT, a subsidiary of Chinese electric vehicle giant Xpeng – smashed into each other while flying in formation. One suffered severe fuselage damage and erupted in flames after landing.
Recommended Stories
Videos circulating on Weibo, China’s social media platform, captured the fiery wreckage on the ground as fire crews scrambled to contain the blaze.
长春航展两架飞行汽车在空中相撞坠落起火！9月16日，长春航展预演结束后，广东汇天通航参与双机编队演练期间。两架eVTOL（电动垂直起降飞行器）在空中相撞后坠机，在地面燃起大火… pic.twitter.com/pYWqziAHUD— 希望之聲 – 中國時局 (@SoundOfHope_SOH) September 17, 2025
Xpeng said in a statement that “all personnel at the scene are safe, and local authorities have completed on-site emergency measures in an orderly manner.” Conflicting reports suggested that one person may have been injured in the incident.
What Are Xpeng’s Flying Cars?
The experimental vehicles are designed for vertical take-off and landing, part drone and part car, and have been priced at around $300,000 (£220,000) each. Earlier this year, Xpeng claimed to have secured about 3,000 pre-orders. The company- already one of the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturers- has expanded aggressively into Europe and is pushing flying cars as central to China’s ambition to lead the so-called “low-altitude economy.”
China
September 18, 2025, 17:06 IST
Loading comments…
Read More
