A recent Tesla "flying car" demo has sparked heated debate, with some worrying China has fallen behind and others dismissing it as a "big toy that hops," People's Daily commented on November 2. The paper urged a clear-headed composure: do not underestimate China's accumulated strengths in new-energy vehicles.
Tesla's brief flight relied on cold-gas propulsion for short-time lift and aerial flips, but regulations, scenarios and safety certification remain unknown. By contrast, China's NEV sector holds systematic hard power: BYD's Yangwang U9 Xtreme tops the world production-car speed chart at 496.22 km/h; CATL's third-gen Shenxing super-charging battery fills in just over six minutes, a global record; Huawei and Li Auto have released cockpit-driving fusion or end-to-end smart-driving solutions; and XPeng earlier unveiled its split flying car "Land Carrier."
The data is most telling: China accounts for 35.6% of globally published automotive patents — more than one in every three. The commentary concluded that future mobility is a long race, and China should run with both competitive drive and strategic calm.
Source: People's Daily
