(Yicai) Sept. 15 -- Dassault Systèmes, a major French software producer, is deepening its partnerships with Chinese manufacturers of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, as flying taxis edge closer to mass production in the Asian country, Yicai learned at a recent industry conference.

Dassault Systèmes’s business in China has grown 22-fold since the Vélizy-Villacoublay-based company entered the market 20 years ago, Dassault Systèmes China President Zhang Ying told reporters at the conference.

The firm has set up branches and innovation centers in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, a region with a well-developed ecosystem for the low-altitude economy, he noted.

With the emergence of eVTOLs -- aerial transport vehicles that can take off and land vertically like a helicopter -- the convergence of the aerospace, automotive and high-tech sectors is accelerating, Zhang said, adding that almost every aircraft and seven out of 10 cars use Dassault Systèmes’s software.

Last September, Dassault Systèmes signed a deal with Chinese eVTOL startup AutoFlight and a strategic cooperation agreement with Govy AirCar, the eVTOL subsidiary of Chinese automaker GAC Group, to collaborate on the research and development of flying cars, airworthiness certification, full value chain collaboration, and smart operations.

China is testing flying taxis in the cities of Hefei, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Chengdu, and Chongqing, said Su Qingpeng, founder and chief executive of Govy AirCar. Airworthiness policies for eVTOLs are developing well, and the next challenge is to figure out real-world usage cases and business models for eVTOL operations, he added.

GAC Govy plans to start eVTOL deliveries next year, Su noted. Several eVTOLs will achieve large-scale production and deployment by then, so prices will likely be at most two to three times that of a normal taxi, he predicted.

Dassault Systèmes has a broad global footprint in the aerospace sector, analysts said. From a global market perspective, European giants such as Siemens and Airbus have seen slower progress on flying car projects, but China has advantages in infrastructure construction, policy support, and innovation ecosystems, giving the low-altitude economy huge development potential, they added.

China’s supply chain is strong enough to quickly find battery suppliers and intelligent driving suppliers that can develop batteries, motors, electronic controls, smart driving systems, as well as intelligent connected vehicles tailored for the low-altitude economy, Su said.

Editor: Futura Costaglione