Chinese startup’s US$140,000 car can fly over traffic jams

In the past months, China’s Xpeng Aeroht has staged two maiden public flights for its aircraft. The 90-second exercise near Dubai’s iconic Palm Jumeirah island in October was followed by another in Guangzhou, China - landmarks for the startup backed by electric-vehicle maker Xpeng Inc. — Twitter @XPENG_AEROHT

The crowd of hundreds roared in Mandarin as the gull-winged two-seater aircraft rose and hovered roughly 30 meters (100 feet) above their heads, before smoothly lowering back down to earth. "Make us Chinese proud in Dubai!” several of the more enthusiastic shouted in unison.

In the past months, China’s Xpeng Aeroht has staged two maiden public flights for its aircraft. The 90-second exercise near Dubai’s iconic Palm Jumeirah island in October was followed by another in Guangzhou, China - landmarks for the startup backed by electric-vehicle maker Xpeng Inc. The EV firm’s billionaire founder He Xiaopeng and other backers are betting large they can overcome regulatory hurdles and capture a slice of what’s been touted as a US$1 trillion (RM4.43 trillion) market that could redefine how we move around.