One Flying Car Off the Line Every 30 Minutes: China Redefines World-Class Sm...

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In 1913, Ford's assembly line set the benchmark for manufacturing efficiency. 112 years later, in Guangdong, a flying car is rolling off the production line every 30 minutes.

This remarkable feat comes from the facility of ARIDGE. As its founder Zhao Deli explained, an annual output of 10,000 units is revolutionary for the traditional aviation industry—which produces fewer than 4,000 aircraft globally per year. He attributed this capability to innovative production design: "Through assembly-line design, we have automated parts of the production process. This is the world's largest mass-production factory for flying cars."

This achievement is anchored in Guangdong's robust industrial ecosystem. The province produces one-fifth of all vehicles made in China and operates a fully integrated industrial chain. Its smart connected vehicle plants operate at 100% digitalization, and the self-sufficiency rate for core new energy vehicle components exceeds 90%, giving "Made in Guangdong" unwavering confidence.

Industry leaders emphasize the importance of technological self-reliance and open innovation. Feng Xingya, Chairman of GAC Group, stated at Auto Guangzhou 2025 that meeting diverse consumer demands entails mastering core technologies. He revealed that GAC has released "12 high-performance, high-safety automotive-grade chips" and launched a plan to co-build the automotive chip application ecosystem.

Wang Chuanfu, Chairman of BYD, highlighted China's leading position in new energy vehicles an interview during the Private Enterprise Symposium in February 2025. "China's new energy vehicles, whether in terms of products, technology, or the industrial chain, are leading the world by about 3 to 5 years," he said, adding that "only through open innovation can the world experience such outstanding products."

Guangdong's favorable business environment is also a key catalyst for this innovation. He Xiaopeng, Chairman of XPENG, explained his commitment to entrepreneurship and long-cycle R&D in Guangdong: "I believe this stems from Guangdong's fertile ground for entrepreneurship, supported by its well-developed industrial chain and talent base."

One production line links thousands of enterprises. This model of "chain-based breakthroughs" is spreading across sectors like semiconductors, new energy, and biomedicine, where traditional boundaries are being shattered.

The automotive production line is just a microcosm. Guangdong is unlocking new quality productive forces across its entire industrial spectrum: Zhuhai has boosted smart appliance manufacturing efficiency by 200%, while Luoding now produces 500 billion high-end multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) annually, breaking foreign monopolies. Strategic industrial clusters in the Pearl River Delta operate around the clock, and the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou innovation cluster topped global rankings for the first time, injecting inexhaustible momentum.

The evolution of modern intelligent manufacturing lines marks a leap across eras. Guangdong's progress represents a shift from isolated breakthroughs to coordinated advancement. Its industrial clusters are increasingly becoming the definers of global standards in more sectors and the birthplace of future technologies.

The economic data underscores this transformation. In 2025, Guangdong's high-tech manufacturing grew by 6.4%, and its industrial robot output ranked first nationwide, demonstrating how innovation is rapidly being translated into economic strength there.

With the Guangdong's smart manufacturing advancing toward innovation, its future holds boundless promise.