CEO He Xiaopeng projects the firm will sell 1 million robots by 2030 after ramping up mass production
Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng expects to produce more than 1,000 humanoid robots a month by the end of 2026 as it competes with Tesla in a high-stakes race to dominate physical AI, the integration of intelligent software into robotics and machinery.
The Guangzhou-based carmaker told the South China Morning Post in a statement on Thursday that its manufacturing capacity would pave the way for the global launch of Iron, its next-generation humanoid robot, with commercial deliveries projected to begin in 2027.
In November, CEO He Xiaopeng, also Xpeng’s co-founder, said the company expected to sell 1 million robots by 2030 as he pledged to lower production costs and make robots more affordable for households.
Xpeng’s Iron runs on the company’s Vision-Language-Action 2.0 AI model. Unlike older systems that translate images into text-based code before executing a movement, the newer model allows the robot’s neural network to convert visual data directly into motion, improving task efficiency and reducing information loss.
Tesla’s Optimusbecause it has yet to be commercialised.”
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halt production of its Model S and Model X carsand convert the plant where they were made in Fremont, California, to build humanoid robots. The company has yet to sell its Optimus humanoid robot.