Musk: Xpeng’s Iron Robot Blurs Line Between Human and Machine

Xpeng’s next-gen “Iron” humanoid robot has taken China by storm, and even Elon Musk couldn’t help but take notice. The Tesla CEO, who rarely praises rivals, commented after clips of the robot’s eerily lifelike movements went viral across Chinese social media.

“Not bad… Tesla and Chinese companies will dominate the market,” Musk reportedly said in a chat shared by Sohu Tech. “Other companies in the West are weak.” He added, “I have great respect for China’s competition. So many smart, hardworking people in China.”

That line lands differently when you recall this is the same Musk who, 14 years ago, laughed off BYD’s electric cars in a Bloomberg interview, barely containing his grin when asked if the Chinese brand was a serious rival. How times have changed.

At Xpeng’s 2025 AI Day on Nov 5, the company unveiled the new Iron, a sleeker, female-shaped evolution of last year’s model. But what really stunned the crowd was not the design, but the way Iron moved. 

During a live demo, the robot strutted down a runway with such smooth, natural motion that many thought Xpeng had hidden a real person inside.

To silence the skeptics, Xpeng chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng posted an unedited clip showing the robot in action, even cutting open part of its artificial skin to reveal the mechanical components underneath, proving it was all machine and no trickery.

Some netizens could not resist poking fun at Tesla’s own humanoid project. “Tesla’s robot can’t walk this smoothly. No way this is possible,” one viral comment read, which He himself reposted.

It is easy to see why the Iron caught Musk’s attention. With Xpeng targeting mass production of advanced humanoid robots by the end of 2026, China’s robotics race is heating up fast, fast enough that even Silicon Valley’s boldest visionary is now nodding in respect.

Source: Cnevpost