XPeng's robotics division has completed its inaugural funding round, securing more than $900 million and achieving a post-investment valuation exceeding $6.3 billion (approximately RMB 43 billion). At the second-quarter earnings call, XPeng Group Chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng stated that XPeng may be the only company in China conducting full-stack in-house development for robotics, with its technology stack covering the main body, brain, midbrain, cerebellum, data, and infrastructure. He also projected that once XPeng's robots are officially launched, the gross profit contribution per unit could significantly surpass that of its automobiles.

This funding round was not initiated by XPeng itself but was actively driven by several long-term investors focused on the robotics sector. IDG Capital and Gaorong Ventures, which have previously invested in robotics and artificial intelligence, each contributed dollar-level funding in this round, marking their largest publicly disclosed single investments in embodied intelligence. Tencent and Alibaba, following their earlier investment in Unitree Robotics, have now invested in another leading Chinese robotics company, with investment amounts approximately three times and twelve times their respective public investments in Unitree. IDG Capital noted that XPeng's humanoid robot represents the leading level of China's humanoid robotics industry and possesses the capability to compete with overseas industry leaders in the global market. IDG believes the humanoid robotics industry is transitioning from the technical exploration phase to the large-scale application phase, where future competition will hinge not only on breakthroughs in individual technologies but also on a company's comprehensive ability to move from core technology R&D and mass production to global commercial deployment.

During the earnings call, He Xiaopeng emphasized that XPeng has been developing robotics for eight years. He believes the technical challenges and innovation difficulty of advanced general-purpose humanoid robots are far greater than those of smart vehicles, with a difference of at least twentyfold. To achieve such significant innovation, XPeng must conduct forward-looking and integrated R&D with both breadth and depth across design and styling, hardware and chips, software and AI, data and management, as well as quality and manufacturing. He stated that XPeng may be the only robotics company in China conducting full-system in-house R&D. As a result, the XPeng IRON has fundamental differences from competitors currently on the market, possessing unique capabilities in multiple aspects. He noted that XPeng's full-stack self-developed technology stack now completely covers the robot's main body, brain, cerebellum, data, and infrastructure. In terms of the main body, the XPeng IRON features industry-leading human-like form and design, with an innovative full-wrap flexible lattice that balances aesthetics and safety. The robot has 76 degrees of freedom across the body, with 21 degrees of freedom in each dexterous hand, both at industry-leading levels. XPeng has independently designed and developed an AI-native hardware platform and all core components for embodied intelligence, including chips, controllers, motion modules, and dexterous hands. Leveraging its established smart EV R&D and manufacturing system, XPeng is building automotive-grade quality and mass-production delivery capabilities. As the humanoid robotics industry moves from technology demonstration to large-scale application, XPeng distinguishes itself by possessing full-chain capabilities from technology R&D and data training to mass manufacturing and commercial application, which is key to winning future competition in humanoid robotics.

At the earnings call, He Xiaopeng revealed the latest production and launch timeline for XPeng's robots. He said XPeng plans to begin mass production by the end of this year, starting commercial applications in XPeng's own stores and parks. In 2027, the XPeng IRON will be officially launched, with external customers in the retail and service industries, and will begin scale deliveries in both China and overseas. Monthly production capacity can be rapidly increased to several thousand units next year based on market demand. He stated that the technical barriers for advanced general-purpose robots are extremely high, and quality supply is scarce. Therefore, each IRON's revenue and gross profit contribution over its full lifecycle, including hardware sales and recurring revenue from software and AI model upgrades, will significantly exceed the current average selling price and gross margin of the automobile business. He expressed expectations that after mass production, rapid commercialization in both domestic and overseas markets will bring substantial gross profit growth for XPeng and support continued R&D investment in physical AI, further expanding its technological leadership. Following the completion of this funding round, the XPeng Group will continue to hold a controlling stake in the robotics business, which will remain consolidated into the group's financial statements. It is foreseeable that after XPeng's robots are officially launched, they will further unlock long-term value for the company.

XPeng's recently released second-quarter 2026 financial report shows total deliveries of 103,295 vehicles, up 64.8% quarter-over-quarter. In the second quarter of 2026, the company achieved a comprehensive gross margin of 20.7% and an automotive gross margin of 12.1%, with the comprehensive gross margin improving by 3.4 percentage points compared to the same period in 2025. According to He Xiaopeng's projections, after XPeng's robotics business achieves commercialization, the group's profitability is expected to improve further. Additionally, the value of the XPeng Group will no longer be limited to automobile sales. With the robotics business now receiving market-based valuation, the capital market may begin reassessing the overall value of the XPeng Group.