Rafik Ferrag, head of creative design for Chinese electric vehicle brand Xpeng, recently spoke in London about the future of car design, including autonomous vehicles and flying cars. Ferrag, who previously worked for Peugeot, Citroën, and Honda, emphasised the importance of art in design, stating that drawing and a passion for beauty are at the core of his work.
Ferrag noted that current safety regulations limit design innovation, but fully autonomous (Level 5) vehicles would unlock new possibilities. “This will be the next level of creativity for designers to think of something completely different,” he said. Xpeng already sells the G6 in the UK, with the P7+ and G9 also in its lineup.
Beyond ground vehicles, Xpeng's offshoot brand Xpeng Aridge is developing flying cars. Ferrag revealed that prototypes are already being built and tested. “Coming from France with all those conservative thoughts… you design a car that flies – and then a few months later we are building prototypes that actually fly,” he said. He believes flying cars will not replace traditional cars but will add a third dimension to transportation, making the 2D layer less important.
Ferrag and the author plan to meet at the Beijing Auto Show in April to see Xpeng's flying cars and robots in person.
