Cover The Land Aircraft Carrier by Xpeng Aero HT (Photo: Xpeng Aero HT)
The Land Aircraft Carrier by Xpeng Aero HT (Photo: Xpeng Aero HT)
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From an in-car game that lets you ‘throw’ emojis at other drivers to a six-wheeler with its own aircraft, here are four innovations by automotive brands to watch
At the start of every year, the automotive industry gears up to announce its most exciting innovations. When it happens, some fall short in actually triggering excitement, while others make headlines with their ambitious (or actualised) visions.
Over the past few years, announcements have been filled with buzz phrases such as autonomous driving, artificial intelligence and enhanced connectivity. All of this feeds into brands wanting to offer technology-driven luxury and sustainable transport solutions—whether it’s letting you take in the scenery around you rather than taking the wheel or monitoring your vital signs to enhance your safety and comfort as you drive.
Here are four announcements made this year that we are looking forward to and even amused by.
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BMW wants you to know your carbon footprint
Let’s start with the most practical: this past July, BMW Group announced the latest update of its My BMW App and Mini App that allows drivers to view their vehicle’s carbon footprint.
The function analyses the routes the driver has taken and the energy used in the process to calculate the CO2 emitted. Data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) is used to calculate CO2 equivalents. For combustion-engine vehicles, the app works out the amount of emissions based on the fuel consumed. For battery-electric vehicles, it uses the average national energy mix.
Above BMW introduces a new feature on its My BMW app and Mini app that lets its customers view their vehicle footprint (Photo: BMW)
BMW introduces a new feature on its My BMW app and Mini app that lets its customers view their vehicle footprint (Photo: BMW)
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The app also shows the vehicle’s footprint from being made, highlighting the emissions generated during its entire manufacturing process.
Last year, My BMW App also added an Electric Vehicle Analysis function, which lets customers with BMWs powered by a combustion engine simulate how well a fully electric BMW could fit their driving profiles.
My BMW App and Mini App are currently used by more than 14 million customers worldwide, with the My Trips function available in over 90 countries and actively used by 1.9 million users.
For now, the personal carbon footprint feature is only launched in Europe for selected models.
Read more: Xiaomi is rolling out a luxe electric SUV with serious range
Xpeng is tackling road rage with emojis
Emojis have expanded beyond chats and into Chinese carmaker Xpeng’s P7 sedan. During the debut of its latest electric model, Xpeng revealed the augmented reality (AR) game, which lets frustrated drivers hurl emoji bombs at nearby cars through the windshield display.
The optional in-car mini-game, which is called Road Rage Reliever, resembles Nintendo’s Mario Kart game, where players can throw objects at each other. It uses a customisable steering wheel button as a trigger and onboard cameras to identify the target vehicle. When activated, emojis of varying expressions appear to blast across the windshield.
Powered by Huawei, the game uses an 87-inch-wide augmented reality heads-up display that stretches beyond the driver’s field of vision.
The P7 sedan was launched in China on August 6, with the carmaker cautioning drivers to use the game responsibly.
Read more: It’s a picture. It’s a character. When did we all start speaking in emojis?
It also wants you to have a flying car
Above Xpeng Aero HT’s Land Aircraft Carrier features a minivan, dubbed the ‘mothership’ with a human-carrying aircraft in the back (Photo: Xpeng Aero HT)
Xpeng Aero HT’s Land Aircraft Carrier features a minivan, dubbed the ‘mothership’ with a human-carrying aircraft in the back (Photo: Xpeng Aero HT)
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At CES 2025 in January, the Chinese carmaker’s aerospace arm, Xpeng Aero HT, also unveiled a “modular flying car”. The Land Aircraft Carrier is a six-wheel electric minivan with a small aircraft tucked in its trunk.
The aircraft—a folding EVOTL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicle—is designed to be lightweight, featuring a panoramic cockpit made from carbon fibre. It has a dual-duct six-rotor design with foldable propellers and arms.
It’s easy to fly with a single-stick control, but it can also fly autonomously. Its safety features include fully redundant designs for propulsion, power, communications, flight control and operation, and automatic rotor failure response.
When not in use, it can be recharged in the back of its “mothership” during driving or parking. A full charge allows for up to six flights. With the EVOTL in the back, the minivan can still sit four passengers.
According to Techcrunch, Aero HT has received 3,000 intent orders for the vehicle and plans to start mass production this year, with first deliveries planned for 2026. Other than for personal use, other potential use cases include emergency search and rescue, says a company spokesperson.
Xpeng vice chairman and president Brian Gu has shared that the Land Aircraft Carrier has received its type certification, which means it meets the requirements to be produced, and has completed its first public crewed flight demonstration. After this, the company will still need to get its production certificate to mass-produce the vehicle and its airworthiness certificate.
The vehicle is slated to launch in China first before hitting international markets.
Read more: The battle for EV dominance is shifting towards Asia. Here are the Chinese brands to watch out for
Geely launches into space
The 'Geely Future Mobility Constellation' is a network of low Earth orbit satellites operated by Geespace, the commercial aerospace subsidiary of Chinese car manufacturer Geely (Photo: Geespace)
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Geely, another Chinese car manufacturer, has also taken flight through its commercial aerospace subsidiary, Geespace, launching 11 low-orbit satellites on August 9. Since 2022, the company has put a total of 41 satellites into orbit and plans to expand its ‘Geely Future Mobility Constellation’ network to 72 satellites by the end of 2025.
Geespace aims to establish a global commercial satellite Internet of Things (IoT) communications network to enhance future smart vehicle capabilities, including precise navigation for autonomous cars.
The use of low Earth orbit satellite communications is also transforming various industries, including emergency response, maritime operations and energy infrastructure, by providing critical data support and improving safety.
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