XPeng will launch robotaxis in 2026 using its own Turing AI chips and VLA model

XPeng said during its AI Day event in Guangzhou that it will launch robotaxis next year and introduce a second‑generation humanoid robot, both powered by the company’s own chips.

The decision comes after the company previously said robotaxis were not a near‑term business. XPeng is now presenting itself as a company building full autonomous systems, not only electric cars, according to statements made at the event.

The company said it will launch three robotaxi models, each using four Turing AI chips, which XPeng designed in‑house. The total computing performance inside the vehicle is 3,000 TOPS.

The vehicles run on the vision‑language‑action (VLA) model, which is in its second version and is built to read visual input and act without human instruction.

The robotaxi vehicles include external displays on the sun visors that show information such as speed to people outside the car. Testing will begin in Guangzhou and then expand to other Chinese cities in 2026.

Robotaxis will operate with Alibaba mapping support

XPeng is working with Alibaba, using AutoNavi and the Amaps ride‑hailing platform for routing and booking. This partnership links XPeng’s robotaxis directly into an existing navigation and transportation service rather than creating a new platform.

The move puts XPeng closer to companies pursuing large‑scale driverless fleets.

Co‑President Gu said the company has been developing some of this technology earlier than Tesla, but did not publicize it as aggressively. Gu said, “What we are pursuing from a tech and product perspective, there are some similarities with Tesla.

There are some areas that we probably started earlier than Tesla,” referencing flying cars and humanoid robotics. XPeng has already built a flying car prototype, which places it among the few automakers exploring both ground and aerial mobility products.

Gu also said Tesla has communicated commercialization plans more openly, and XPeng has not shared its work at the same scale until now.

Humanoid robots and new driver‑assist systems coming next

XPeng also introduced the second‑generation Iron humanoid robot, which is scheduled for mass production next year. The robot uses three Turing chips and a solid‑state battery.

XPeng plans to offer customization options such as different body shapes and hairstyles. CEO He Xiaopeng said the robots will not enter homes soon because the machines are still expensive, and China has low labor costs in factories.

He said the robots will first appear as tour guides, sales assistants, and office building guides, starting in XPeng’s own facilities. He said, “I don’t know how many robots we will sell in the next 10 years, but it will be more than the number of cars.”

XPeng also announced that in the first quarter of 2026, it will introduce a new driver‑assist system designed to help vehicles move through narrow roads.

XPeng said the system reduces the amount of manual input required and is well-suited for European city layouts. The company confirmed that Volkswagen will be the first outside manufacturer to use the system, and XPeng plans to offer the feature to additional automakers.

He said the new driver‑assist system required less human control than Tesla’s Full Self‑Driving (FSD) feature and completed a test route several minutes faster. Tesla has faced difficulty obtaining regulatory approval for FSD in mainland China, which has slowed deployment.

XPeng started releasing its own driver‑assist software in major Chinese cities in early 2023, and the feature has quickly become common among Chinese automakers competing in a crowded domestic EV market.

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