China's AutoFlight Rolls Out World’s First 5-Ton eVTOL
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Chinese electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft maker Shanghai AutoFlight Co. Ltd. has unveiled a new heavy-lift model it says boasts the world’s largest payload and longest range.
The company on Thursday introduced the V5000 Matrix, an aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of 5.7 tons that can carry a pilot and nine passengers. A hybrid version is designed to fly as far as 1,500 kilometers. On the same day, a full-scale prototype completed a successful transition flight — a critical milestone in which the aircraft switches from vertical takeoff to fixed-wing cruise mode.
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- Shanghai AutoFlight unveiled the V5000 Matrix, a heavy-lift eVTOL with a 5.7-ton max takeoff weight, seating nine plus a pilot and a hybrid range of 1,500 km.
- Backed by CATL (38.2% stake, $100M personal investment), the V5000 aligns with China’s draft powered-lift aircraft regulations (5,700 kg, nine passengers).
- The V5000 aims for up to 30% lower per-seat and per-ton costs versus smaller eVTOLs; a cargo version holds two standard containers.
- Shanghai AutoFlight Co. Ltd.
- Shanghai AutoFlight Co. Ltd. is a Chinese electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft maker. They recently unveiled the V5000 Matrix, a heavy-lift model with the world's largest payload and longest range, capable of carrying a pilot and nine passengers. Backed by battery giant CATL, AutoFlight is focused on developing larger, more economically viable aircraft for regional transport.
- Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd.
- Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) is a Chinese battery giant and a strategic investor in Shanghai AutoFlight Co. Ltd. They hold a 38.2% stake and their chairman, Zeng Yuqun, personally invested an additional $100 million. CATL will supply aviation-grade power batteries for AutoFlight's V5000 Matrix.
- August 2024：
- CATL became a strategic investor in AutoFlight, acquiring a 38.2% stake for several hundred million dollars.
- December 2025：
- The Civil Aviation Administration of China released draft airworthiness standards for powered-lift aircraft.
- January 2026：
- CATL chairman Zeng Yuqun personally invested an additional $100 million in AutoFlight.
- February 5, 2026：
- AutoFlight publicly introduced the V5000 Matrix and completed a successful transition flight of its full-scale prototype.
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