XPeng 2025 AI Day: Robotaxis, Robo-Cars & Robots Usher in Physical AI Era

XPeng’s 2025 AI Day showed a company no longer content being just another EV maker. The message was clear: XPeng wants to be a leader in AI-driven mobility, from robotaxis to personal autonomous cars, humanoid robots and even flying vehicles.

The biggest shift was its new timeline for robotaxis. After previously saying the business was still years out, XPeng now plans to introduce three robotaxi models in 2026 and begin trial operations in major Chinese cities including Guangzhou. 

The change in tone came as XPeng said AI progress has moved far faster than expected, bringing commercial autonomy closer than many predicted.

Each robotaxi will run on four in-house Turing AI chips, giving a claimed combined computing power of 3,000 TOPS, currently among the highest in-car capabilities globally. XPeng also confirmed it will build two paths for autonomous mobility, one for shared robotaxi fleets, and one for fully self-driving personal cars designed for private use or within families.

A key part of XPeng’s plan is its upgraded VLA (Vision-Language-Action) intelligent driving system. The new version is trained using tens of thousands of GPUs and enormous video datasets to mimic how humans perceive roads and react to complex conditions.

XPeng says the system handles tight streets and busy city roads with far fewer takeovers than previous versions, and media tests will kick off soon before wider rollout in early 2026.

In a strategic move, XPeng will open-source this new VLA platform. Volkswagen is already the first global partner signed on, and XPeng’s proprietary chips have secured a VW development project - a major endorsement and potentially a powerful new revenue stream beyond selling cars.

XPeng also pulled the cover off the latest version of its IRON humanoid robot delivering 2,250 TOPS for advanced dialogue. While not yet ready for home use, the robot will enter mass production in late 2026 and begin work in roles such as guides and customer-facing assistants. 

XPeng sees robots eventually becoming a bigger volume product than cars, although the company admits widespread adoption will take time.

True to its futuristic ambitions, XPeng also confirmed its “Land Aircraft Carrier” flying car remains on track for larger-scale deliveries in 2026. And to round off the announcements, CEO He Xiaopeng teased the XPeng X9 Kunpeng Super Extended-Range Edition launch happening later today.

Throughout the event, XPeng repeated one idea: “Physical AI”. The company believes the next era of technology blends intelligence with movement and real-world interaction. That means not just smart cars, but fleets of autonomous vehicles, intelligent robots and new forms of aerial mobility all powered by a unified AI system.

XPeng called this its most important tech day yet, and judging by the pace and breadth of its roadmap, it wasn’t an exaggeration. The company is pushing far beyond EVs and setting itself up as a long-term challenger in the global AI mobility race.