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Volkswagen’s “Flying Tiger” V.MO: The eVTOL Prototype and What Happened Next

Volkswagen Group China’s V.MO, nicknamed the “Flying Tiger,” was an eVTOL validation prototype unveiled in 2022. Its passenger and range figures were future targets, not proven or certified capability.
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Volkswagen Group China unveiled the V.MO “Flying Tiger” in July 2022 as a full-scale validation prototype for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) passenger aircraft. The company described a future aircraft that might carry four passengers up to 200 km, but those were goals—not demonstrated performance, certification, or a launched air service. Later reports say the program ended in 2024, though Volkswagen has not directly confirmed that outcome in the sources available here.

What Volkswagen unveiled

Volkswagen Group China said its Vertical Mobility project began in 2020 to explore new mobility concepts, including the use of urban airspace. On 27 July 2022, it introduced the V.MO in Beijing as its first eVTOL passenger-aircraft prototype and validation model. The black-and-gold paint scheme commemorated the Chinese Year of the Tiger and inspired the “Flying Tiger” nickname. Volkswagen’s announcement described the project as an exploration of premium urban and intercity air mobility in China.

The nickname was also explained by Zhou Jin, identified by Volkswagen Group China as V.MO Project Manager & Product Owner. In a 29 July 2022 interview, she said: “We nicknamed this initial 001 prototype the ‘Flying Tiger’ due to its black and gold livery, which we painted to commemorate its launch in the Year of the Tiger.” The interview also discussed the project’s proposed technical direction.

How the V.MO was designed to fly

Volkswagen described an X-wing layout combining eight upward-facing rotors for vertical lift with two propellers for horizontal flight. The announced dimensions were 11.2 metres long and 10.6 metres in span. These are design details from the 2022 announcement, not evidence of a certified aircraft configuration.

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Prototype versus proposed final aircraft

Volkswagen said a future final version could carry four passengers plus luggage and fly up to 200 km. The project-manager interview also described future-stage targets of up to 200 km/h and 60 minutes of flight time on a single charge. Those figures were forward-looking company goals; the available sources do not establish that the prototype achieved them or that a production aircraft was built to those specifications. No independent performance-test results or V.MO certification figures are established here.

Who Volkswagen intended to serve

The company proposed beginning with premium air mobility for high-net-worth, technology-oriented customers in China. VIP shuttle services were offered as a possible early use, with business and leisure trips between Chinese megacity clusters as a longer-term prospect. These were intended markets, not evidence of customer demand, an operating shuttle service, or commercial availability.

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Development plans and partners

At launch, Volkswagen said it planned several flight tests later in 2022, followed by further advanced testing of an improved prototype by late summer 2023. It also said it would work with relevant Chinese authorities toward certification as development progressed. The sources available here do not verify that these planned tests or certification steps were completed.

Volkswagen’s launch announcement named Hunan Sunward Technology as a Chinese partner. The project-manager interview also named CATL, Magna, and Tangerine as supporting partners. Tangerine’s project description says it worked on exterior and interior design, prototype and flight-trial work, and refinement with Volkswagen and Sunward.

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What is known about the V.MO’s status

The later status is reported rather than directly confirmed by Volkswagen in the sources available here. Aviation Week’s March–April 2025 issue reported that Wanfeng acquired rights to Volkswagen Group China’s piloted four-passenger V.MO in 2024. In August 2026, EVXL reported that Volkswagen ended the program in June 2024. That report does not amount to a Volkswagen confirmation, and the available sources do not explain the reported rights transfer. Neither report establishes that the V.MO entered passenger service or obtained certification.

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How to read the “Flying Tiger” figures

The key distinction is between a prototype and a prospective aircraft specification. Volkswagen publicly described the V.MO as a validation prototype and framed its passenger capacity, range, speed, and flight-time figures as future possibilities or targets. The launch announcement and interview establish what the company intended to explore; they do not establish delivered capability. A meaningful comparison with another eVTOL would need to separate demonstrated performance, certification status, piloted or automated operation, and commercial availability from manufacturer targets.

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