Yufeng Future Flight Technology (Zhuhai) has officially launched the manned, eVTOL full scale prototype Matrix 1 that was announced back in April 2021. The company had successfully operated the first flight of the half scale prototype in May 2021, completing hover, transition and cruise modes. Now it hopes to achieve a maiden flight of the full scale version.

The M1 has 20 rotors, 16 are used for vertical take off and landing and four are used for forward pull during the level flight phase. In addition, it adopts an intelligent autonomous flight mode, effectively reducing operational risks and costs. It will have a range of 250km and a cruise speed of 200km/h, allowing it to meet commuting needs of up to one hour within cities and between short-distance destinations, avoiding congestion on the ground. With five seats, like a small car, the company hopes that it could be used as an alternative vehicle for family travel and as a seat sharing transport option.

On a clear run the journey from Shanghai Pudong airport to Hongqiao airport takes about an hour and a half by taxi, and it takes nearly two hours by subway. The journey by M1 should take only about 20 minutes.

For short and medium-distance intercity travel, such as the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and other urban circles, the M1 can be used to achieve one hour regional commutes. It takes around two and a half hours to drive between Guangzhou to Shenzhen, and just half an hour in the M1. The high speed rail journey should take half an hour but it necessitates a number of train changes.

Yufeng's wholly-owned subsidiary, Fukun Aviation, has been involved in the drone industry for many years and has mass-produced two industrial-grade drones with a 36kg class and a flight time of 4.5 hours, and two cargo drones with a load of 110kg and a load of 50kg. This technology is supporting the development of the manned eVTOL.