AutoFlight's V500 "Matrix" electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft Photo: Courtesy of AutoFlight

Chinese electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturer AutoFlight on Thursday unveiled the world's first 5-ton-class eVTOL capable of carrying 10 passengers, known as the V5000 Matrix, which completed a demonstration flight in Kunshan, East China's Jiangsu Province, the company told the Global Times.

A representative of the company said that current mainstream eVTOL models typically feature takeoff weights of 1.5 to 3 tons and carry 4 to 6 passengers. The newly released Matrix is the first eVTOL to reach the 5-ton class, enabling significantly higher payload capacity and extended range.

The Matrix features a 20-meter wingspan, with a length of 17.1 meters and a height of 3.3 meters, and a maximum take-off weight of 5.7 tons. The cabin is 5.25 meters long and 1.8 meters wide, with an aisle height of 1.85 meters, providing 13.9 cubic meters of interior volume.

The Matrix all-electric version offers a maximum range of 250 kilometers, while the hybrid variant can reach up to 1,500 kilometers. The passenger model accommodates 10 people, and the cargo variant can transport goods at the ton scale, according to the company.

AutoFlight's V5000 "Matrix" electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft Photo: Courtesy of AutoFlight

As the core carrier of the low-altitude economy, the eVTOL industry continues to expand rapidly. This year is expected to be a peak period for eVTOL certification and mass production, with multiple mainstream models projected to obtain type certificates and large-scale deliveries to begin. Industry forecasts indicate that China's eVTOL market could reach 9.5 billion yuan ($1.37 billion) in 2026, according to a report by cnni.com.cn, a news portal under China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. 

The low-altitude economy was incorporated into the Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development. Against that backdrop, 10 of China's government departments jointly released the 2025 edition of guidelines for the construction of the low-altitude economy standards system.

The guidelines stipulate that by 2027, a basic system of low-altitude economy standards will be established to meet the safety and healthy development needs of the sector. By 2030, more than 300 standards are expected to be in place, forming a structured, advanced, internationally compatible system that provides robust support for the safe and sustainable growth of China's low-altitude economy.