CES 2026 was a China moment

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026, which concluded January 9 in Las Vegas, China’s contribution to the 148,000-attendee event revealed a strategic shift: rather than isolated product announcements, Chinese firms showcased integrated systems spanning mobility, infrastructure, and airspace designed to scale globally. From XPeng’s modular flying vehicles to Dreame’s leap from robot vacuums to electric supercars, the event underscored how China is moving beyond manufacturing prowess to define new consumer categories altogether. While AI dominated across all exhibitors, China’s presence stood out for the breadth of its ambitions — integrating hardware, software, and regulatory alignment into commercially viable products rather than concept demonstrations. 1. XPeng’s Land Aircraft Carrier targets personal flight market The low-altitude economy describes an emerging business landscape built around commercial uses of crewed and autonomous aircraft flying in near-ground airspace, unlocking new opportunities in logistics, mobility, tourism, and urban services. Few Chinese exhibits generated as much conversation as XPeng’s Land Aircraft Carrier. Instead of using a single vehicle to both drive and fly — a design compromise that has doomed earlier “flying car” concepts — XPeng split the problem in two. The result is a modular system. A six-wheel-drive, hybrid-electric ground vehicle handles long-distance travel and doubles as a mobile charging station. Once it reaches its destination, a rear compartment opens and releases a compact, two-seat eVTOL aircraft that can take off vertically on demand. By framing personal flight as an extension of road travel rather than a replacement for it, XPeng positioned aerial mobility as something individual consumers could realistically own, store, and use — not just hail in dense urban centers. 2. From robot vacuums to supercars, Chinese brands cross categories with ease CES 2026 also highlighted how fluid China’s innovation landscape has become. An unusual move came from Dreame, a company best known globally for its robot vacuum cleaners, which unveiled its first electric performance car at the show — a four-motor EV that joined a wave of Chinese super-sedan concepts drawing comparisons to European hypercars like Bugattis. What might once have seemed like a novelty instead felt emblematic of a broader shift. Chinese companies are increasingly comfortable leveraging core strengths such as motors, batteries, control systems, and software, and then implementing those across entirely new product categories. The boundaries between consumer electronics, mobility, and luxury are becoming increasingly porous, and Chinese firms are exploiting that overlap faster than many of their Western peers. 3. Why China is pulling ahead in the low-altitude economy Behind XPeng’s flying vehicle is a much larger national push. China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030) has formally designated the “low-altitude economy” — covering drones, eVTOLs, and related infrastructure — as a strategic emerging sector. That policy support is already translating into physical networks. Cities like Shenzhen are building hundreds of takeoff and landing points to support low-altitude transport, laying the groundwork for widespread adoption rather than limited pilot programs. While regulators in the U.S. and Europe continue to move cautiously, China is constructing the conditions needed for scale. At CES, this translated into a sense that aerial mobility in China is not a speculative bet, but an inevitable next layer of transportation. 4. Speed is one of China’s competitive advantages China’s lead in low-altitude mobility is reinforced by iteration speed. While Western players such as Joby and Archer have focused heavily on air-taxi models that depend on dense urban approvals and centralized infrastructure, XPeng is taking a different route. By targeting recreational and personal use — vehicles that can be parked in a standard, albeit large garage and flown in less regulated environments — XPeng is building consumer familiarity first. This approach creates grassroots demand that may ultimately pressure regulators to adapt, rather than waiting for regulatory clarity before scaling. 5. Chinese automakers shift spotlight from hardware to AI Beyond eye-catching vehicles, Chinese brands used CES to emphasize a quieter but more consequential shift: the rise of software-defined mobility. Geely’s autonomous driving and AI control systems were among the most discussed Chinese vehicle technologies at the show, underscoring how competitive advantage is moving away from mechanical specs toward perception, decision-making, and continuous software updates. Chinese automakers increasingly frame vehicles as evolving platforms — intelligent systems designed to improve over time. At CES, this shift placed Chinese firms squarely in the conversation about who will control the operating systems of future mobility. For global audiences, CES 2026 offered a preview of a future where China’s role is no longer confined to building what others design, but increasingly to defining what comes next.

Sectors

Insights

Company

CES 2026 was a China moment