Flying cars: China’s Yunlu Composites partners with XPeng AeroHT

Yunlu Composites and XPeng AeroHT signed a partnership implying that they will pool their strengths to advance flying-car lightweighting. Their joint effort will centre on the research, development, production and industrial application of high-performance carbon-fibre composites and intelligent 3D-braiding equipment. Addressing the pain points of traditional composite manufacturing, the partners will co-develop solutions that raise 3D-braiding productivity, refine weave accuracy and broaden the suitability of next-generation fibres. The signing marks a decisive step in bringing Yunlu’s 3D-braiding technology to industrial maturity in the low-altitude flight-vehicle sector.

XPeng Motor’s subsidiary, XPeng AeroHT, a flying-car brand focused on future air mobility, operates at the aerospace frontier and integrates the advanced technologies and engineering in aviation. Its intelligent electric flying-car programme depends on lightweight, high-strength, high-performance fibre materials to improve range, safety and overall capability—making 3D braiding a key enabler.

In March 2025, XPeng Aeroht signed a contract with Zhengxi Intelligent Equipment Group for the delivery of four composite molding production lines. The production lines are mainly used for the manufacturing of eVTOL and drone parts in the low-altitude economy.

3D-braiding technology for flying cars

The company is currently developing two types of flying cars: the first, Land Aircraft Carrier, is a modular flying car, which automatically folds the aircraft into a car trunk and can be used for short-distance flights such as sightseeing, with a flight distance of less than 30 kilometers; the second, the eVTOL X2, is a full-tilt-rotor flying car, which can only fly and cannot be driven on the road. It has a range of more than 500 kilometers.

“Each flying car uses 300 kilograms of carbon fiber. When we start mass production in 2026, our plant will become the world’s largest automobile factory using carbon fibre“, said He Xiaopeng, founder of XPeng Motors, at the recent China Electric Vehicle Forum. 

Yunlu Composites is mass-producing carbon-fibre composite components for domestic and international OEMs. The company has developed a series of technologies in digital composite-part development, precision manufacturing and intelligent production. “The 2 partners are highly compatible in industrialising 3D-braiding technology for flying cars and are committed to joint technical advancement to secure major breakthroughs“, says Yunlu Composites.

This agreement carries strategic weight, formally launching Yunlu Composites into the low-altitude flight sector. According to the company, Yunlu’s 3D-braiding technology not only offers advantages in production efficiency and composite consistency but also significantly optimises cost, underpinning XPeng AeroHT’s continued industry leadership.

Take a key structural component as an example: Yunlu will reduce production time from 8 hours using traditional lay-up method to five minutes via intelligent manufacturing. In addition to supplying technically superior composite parts, Yunlu will focus on iterative upgrades of 3D-braiding intelligent equipment and processes, developing a broader range of composite solutions tailored for flying cars.