By Toby Gregory
Published on
Asked what distinguishes his company from other electric vehicle manufacturers, Gu said its origin lies as much in technology as in automotive engineering.
“Because actually, you know, the DNA of our company is quite different from the other Chinese EV brands,” he said. “We actually started as a tech brand.”
He said that focus has driven a full-stack approach to intelligence, combining software, hardware and data to move beyond electrification alone.
“What we saw in the last 12 to 18 months is the emergence of the AI power in the mobility space,” he said, pointing to in-house semiconductor chips, large language models and large-scale data processing as the foundation of what he described as “physical AI”.
Gu said the same technological capabilities underpin not only electric vehicles but also flying cars and robots.
“Exactly, because they all deploy the same capabilities,” he said. “Such capabilities apply to flying drones, apply to humanoid robots, and can also train them to tackle the real world.”
He said the company plans to begin deploying flying cars to consumers within months.
“Our flying car company is actually aimed to launch the real product to end consumers by the second half of this year,” he said. “You’re probably going to see in China real flying cars deployed in different regions.”
At the same time, humanoid robots are expected to enter large-scale production and be used in commercial and industrial settings.
“Our humanoid robot is aimed to be volume produced also by the end of this year,” he said. “And will be used in our stores, our office buildings, as well as our factory tour guides.”
Addressing safety concerns, Gu said the company is relying on established technologies and controlled environments during the early deployment phase.
“We are using a very well-proven, direct lifting propelling system, which has a lot of safety redundancies built into it,” he said.
He added that initial operations would take place in regulated areas, including designated flying zones outside city centres.
“It’s actually very easy to pilot and also very intelligent,” he said. “Taking off and landing can be automated.”
On pricing, Gu said the first commercial flying-car package is expected to cost less than 2 million renminbi in China.
“This whole package, we think it’s going to be below two million RMB, about less than US$300,000 in China,” he said.
Regulatory approval remains a prerequisite for wider adoption, he added.
“Right now, in China, we still need to get approval from the aviation authorities,” he said. “I think with China’s approval, with China’s application, and the flying taking place in large quantities, you’ll give comfort to international countries and markets.”
Looking further ahead, Gu said intelligence-driven systems could fundamentally reshape mobility and daily life.
“I think that we are actually at a really transformative period of history,” he said. “Robo-taxi, cars driving by themselves… three-dimensional travel versus two-dimensional.”
“All these will dramatically disrupt the way of life and mobility as we know it,” he added.
Watch the full interview with Dr Hongdi Brian Gu from the World Governments Summit in the video above