He Xiaopeng, Chairman and CEO of Xpeng Group, has issued an internal memo announcing his decision to take direct control of the company's robotics business.

In the communication, He Xiaopeng stated that the humanoid robotics project is at a crucial juncture, comparable to the stage eight years ago when the company was preparing to launch its first vehicle, the G3, and is now on the cusp of mass production and delivery.

According to the outlined plan, Xpeng Inc. aims to achieve mass production of its humanoid robot in the fourth quarter of 2026.

The company intends to deploy these robots for customer service roles in its physical stores by the first quarter of 2027 and begin exporting them to international markets in the second quarter of the same year.

By 2028, the goal is for the robots to be adopted by more households.

He Xiaopeng emphasized that this move signifies a major strategic shift for the group, transitioning from a "smart car company" to a "physical AI company."

He highlighted the team's achievements over the past three years in developing the IRON robot from a concept into a functional product capable of walking, running, interacting, and performing tasks.

The development adhered to automotive-grade standards, with full-stack in-house research overcoming challenges from chips and joints to the complete machine, dexterous hands, and the evolution of its control and AI systems.

Key Business Objectives

He Xiaopeng detailed several distinguishing goals for Xpeng Inc.'s robotics venture.

The primary aim is to create the most human-like robots intended to be companions in work and life, rather than merely powerful machines.

Secondly, the robots are designed to communicate and think using local natural language processing, operating independently without reliance on cloud-based capabilities or remote controls.

Third, a strong emphasis is placed on safety, featuring full-body covering, gentle movements, and robust data privacy protection, ensuring they can operate safely in close proximity to people.

Finally, the company is committed to achieving the first large-scale production of advanced humanoid robots, necessitating full-stack in-house hardware and software development, cross-domain integration, and the construction of its own large data centers and manufacturing plants.

Resource Commitment and Next Steps

He Xiaopeng confirmed his personal commitment and the pooling of all group resources to accelerate the robotics business.

The strategy involves replicating the supply chain, manufacturing, quality control, and global expansion capabilities honed in the automotive sector directly into robotics development.

The objective is to deliver the IRON robot to customers with maximum speed and quality.

He described the coming months as a critical and intense final sprint towards mass production, focusing on refining every detail and function to ensure the delivered product is truly usable, practical, and durable.