Viral Yangwang Ufly Flying Car, BYD Finally Speaks

Illustration of the BYD flying car. (Photo: CNevpost)

JAKARTA - With all its achievements as one of the world's largest electric car manufacturers and the world's second largest battery manufacturer, BYD is naturally rumored to be developing a flying car.

This rumor first surfaced in its home country of China.

Responding to the rumor, BYD finally spoke up, through BYD's GM NEV, Li Yunfei. He said that the rumor was not true, as revealed on Weibo.

"We have no such plans or arrangements. In the face of online traffic, we must refrain," he said, quoted by CNevpost, Monday, December 29.

Over the weekend, a 12-second video that went viral - allegedly produced by AI - claimed that BYD's ultra-luxury sub-brand, Yangwang, would launch a flying car called Ufly and use BYD's ultra-fast charging technology.

In fact, a narrative circulated and published on several WeChat accounts claimed that Yangwang Ufly had completed a transoceanic flight test and obtained flightworthiness certification from the China Civil Aviation Administration.

Not only that, the news also claimed that the flying car traveled 136 kilometers in just 23 minutes during a demonstration in July, flying from Zhuhai to Shenzhen.

The information seems clearly wrong, because BYD has never announced any plans in this regard, and obtaining flightworthiness certification is a long process.

Although BYD is not developing flying cars, several Chinese carmakers such as Xpeng have entered this field, betting on a new potential growth area.