Prime Highlights:
- Xpeng plans to start testing robotaxis next year in Guangzhou and other Chinese cities, signaling a major expansion beyond electric vehicles.
- The company unveiled its second-generation Iron humanoid robot, with mass production expected by the end of 2026.
Key Facts:
- Xpeng’s robotaxis will use its self-developed Turing chips, giving the vehicles high computing power to process visual information for self-driving.
- The humanoid robots will initially serve as tour guides, sales assistants, and office guides within Xpeng facilities, with options for customizing appearance and features.
Background:
Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng announced on Wednesday that it plans to begin testing robotaxis in Guangzhou and other Chinese cities next year, signaling a major push beyond traditional electric vehicles.
As part of its “AI Day” event, Xpeng unveiled three new robotaxi models powered by its self-developed Turing AI chips, which the company says deliver a combined 3,000 TOPS of in-car computing power, among the highest in the world. These chips power Xpeng’s vision-language-action (VLA) system, which helps the vehicles understand and respond to visual information for applications like self-driving cars and robots.
Xpeng also introduced the second-generation Iron humanoid robot, with plans to begin mass production by the end of 2026. At first, the robots will be used as tour guides, sales assistants, and office guides within Xpeng facilities, rather than in homes or factories. The robots come with three Turing chips and a solid-state battery, and can be customized in aspects like body shape and hairstyle.
Co-president Brian Gu emphasized that advances in AI and computing power have accelerated Xpeng’s timeline for autonomous driving technology. “The tech is happening faster than we anticipated,” he said, adding that robotaxis could eventually become a global phenomenon, though regulations will shape the rollout.
Xpeng’s robotaxi strategy includes two categories: commercial self-driving shared vehicles and fully autonomous personal cars intended for family use. The company also partnered with Alibaba, leveraging its mapping subsidiary AutoNavi and the Amaps app to integrate ride-hailing and navigation services for the new robotaxis.
These announcements put Xpeng alongside rivals like Tesla, Pony.ai, WeRide, and Baidu, all of which are expanding into self-driving vehicle services. CEO He Xiaopeng said that while Xpeng has developed some technologies earlier than its competitors, the company is now sharing its plans more openly, showing its growing ambitions in advanced mobility and robotics.
