Flying car stocks have been explosive. Look at Joby Aviation (NYSE:JOBY), for example. The last time I highlighted opportunity in the stock, it traded at about $5 on July 3.
Today, it’s up to $6.95 on news. It successfully flew a first-of-its-kind hydrogen electric air taxi that ran about 523 miles, with water as its only byproduct. Even better, JOBY expects to start commercial operations of its battery-electric air taxi by 2025.
With that launch nearing, JOBY is a buy.
Fueling even more momentum is China, which has given flying car companies a green light for development. According to The Economist, Prime Minister Li Qiang mentioned the “low altitude economy” as a potential new engine for GDP growth. Even better, “the domestic market is now poised for an unprecedented boom,” said eHang Holdings CEO Huazhi Hu in an earnings call.
Even better, with the flying car boom just getting off the ground, JPMorgan predicts a potential $3 trillion market by 2040.
All of these could send flying car stocks sky-high. In addition to JOBY, here are three other hot flying car stocks to jump into today.
eHang Holdings (EH)
On July 3, I also mentioned eHang Holdings (NASDAQ:EH), which traded at $14.12.
Today, at $15.42, it’s still a strong buy. Helping, Morgan Stanley just upgraded the stock to an overweight rating with a $27.50 price target. Plus, with China rolling out supportive policies for the low-altitude economy, “the domestic market is now poised for an unprecedented boom,” said CEO Huazhi Hu, as I noted above.
Even better, the company just received certification for its EH216-S-passenger-carrying pilotless eVTOL aircraft from the Civil Aviation Administration of China. That now clears the way for the company to increase production and meet its backlog of orders.
Earnings have been solid. The company posted a 178% increase in year-over-year revenue in its first quarter and positive operating cash flow for the second consecutive quarter. In late May, Xishan Tourism ordered 50 EHang EH216-S pilotless electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft from the company for about $15.6 million.
XPeng (XPEV)
On July 3, I also mentioned XPeng (NYSE:XPEV), which traded at $7.88.
At the time, I noted, “Its X2 just took its first flight at the Beijing Daxing International Airport. The company also wants to commercialize flying cars by the end of the year.”
Now, at $8.40, XPEV is still a buy.
According to XPeng affiliate XPeng AeroHT, there are plans to start delivering flying cars to customers by 2026. And, according to company co-president Brian Gu, the cars should be available for pre-order this year, starting at $138,000 each.
XPEV’s upside is also being fueled by improving electric vehicle sales. In June, for example, the company said it delivered 10,668 Smart EVs, a 24% improvement year over year. For the first half of the year, it has now delivered 52,028 EVs, a 26% jump year over year.
Plus, Citi analysts just raised their price target on XPEV to HK$32.20 from HK$29.90. The firm cited a strong upcoming model cycle as a key reason for the new price target.
First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF (FTXR)
Or, if you’d rather diversify with next-generation transportation stocks, consider the First Trust Nasdaq Transportation ETF (NASDAQ:FTXR), which has been explosive. Since bottoming out at around $29.25, the ETF is now up to $32.26 and is still a strong buy.
With an expense ratio of 0.60%, the ETF is exposed to U.S. companies in the transportation industry. Some of its 41 holdings include General Motors (NYSE:GM), Ford Motor (NYSE:F), Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX), American Airlines (NASDAQ:AAL), Lear Corporation (NYSE:LEA) and Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL).
On the date of publication, Ian Cooper did not hold (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.
On the date of publication, the responsible editor did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.