The sky instead of a road: Australia is holding a race, China is a crowd scene (3 photos + 2 videos)
While automobile factories around the world are closing, engineers are awake – they're looking to the skies. 
Adelaide-based Airspeeder has received official approval from the local aviation authority, CASA, for race certification for a manned electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft.
In celebration, they've decided to hold a flying car race, where pilots will be able to maneuver at speeds of up to 200 kilometers per hour, turning 90 degrees without losing altitude. 
They'll be racing in a super-duper Pepelats. It's called the Mk4.
What is it: The Mk4 is an electric flying "bike" with vertical takeoff and speeds of up to 200+ km/h, developed with the participation of engineers from Ferrari, McLaren, Airbus, and Boeing. It has already completed 400+ test flights with the Mk3 (unmanned version), including races on AR tracks over the Australian desert.
Back in 2023, the team conducted tests on unmanned Mk3 models. The inaugural EXA Series championship was held in South Australia at that time. The winner was pilot Zefatali Walsh, now called the first air racer in history.
Now things have gotten more serious. The developers plan to unveil an updated version of the vehicle by the end of 2025. The first full-scale competition with teams and thousands of spectators is scheduled for the end of this year or early 2026. It will most likely be held at the major air show in Avalon.
While Australia is still in the planning stages, in China, Xpeng AeroHT launched trial production of flying cars at its massive Guangzhou plant on November 3, 2025. The factory covers 120,000 square meters. This is the world's first intelligent production line for mass production of such vehicles.
According to Xinhua News Agency, once fully operational, the plant will assemble one flying car every 30 minutes. The annual production target is up to 10,000 units, starting with 5,000 in the first year. Serial production officially begins in 2026. The company has already received nearly 5,000 pre-orders.
This is the world's largest flying car factory. China is once again ahead of the curve in the race for the future of transportation. Soon, traffic jams won't just be on the ground.
