From Smart EVs to autonomous vehicles: XPENG positions Robotaxi as a key milestone in bringing Physical AI to the real world

GUANGZHOU, China, July 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- XPENG has officially started employee testing of its Robotaxi platform, marking a major milestone in the company's journey from intelligent electric vehicles to autonomous vehicles powered by Physical AI. The programme follows just eight months after XPENG first unveiled its Robotaxi initiative at XPENG AI Day 2025, reinforcing the company's rapid progress towards commercial deployment.

To mark the occasion, XPENG Chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng became the first internal passenger to complete a full end-to-end Robotaxi journey, successfully placing an order, being picked up and reaching his destination through the XPENG Robotaxi platform. The test demonstrated that the company has successfully connected the entire service chain, from ride hailing and autonomous dispatch to passenger transport and journey completion.

The employee testing programme was announced during XPENG's first company-wide Robotaxi business meeting, where He Xiaopeng outlined the strategic importance of autonomous mobility to the company's future development.

"Robotaxi represents an important step in XPENG's expansion from smart electric vehicles to robotic vehicles," said He Xiaopeng, Chairman and CEO of XPENG. "Over the next decade, Physical AI will increasingly evolve into robots. For XPENG, Robotaxi is not simply a new business, but one of the most important milestones in unlocking the real potential of Physical AI."

From Smart EVs to "Robotic Vehicles"

As autonomous driving advances from driver assistance to full autonomy, XPENG believes vehicles will increasingly become intelligent robotic platforms capable of perception, reasoning and decision-making.

Powered by XPENG's self-developed Turing AI chip, VLA2.0 AI model and proprietary infrastructure, Robotaxi represents one of the company's most complete Physical AI applications to date, bringing together its advances in intelligent vehicles, autonomous driving and embodied AI into a single platform.

Built for Global Scale

He Xiaopeng also used the meeting to outline its long-term Robotaxi strategy. Rather than operating ride-hailing fleets itself, the company intends to serve as a technology provider and ecosystem enabler - supplying the software, hardware and AI capabilities required for autonomous mobility, while working with local partners to deliver services on the ground.

Leveraging the same technology foundation underpinning both its L2 intelligent driving and L4 autonomous driving systems, XPENG's Robotaxi platform is designed for rapid deployment across different cities and markets without relying on LIDAR heavy architectures or high-definition maps.

"The second-generation VLA model's ability to generalise across different environments significantly reduces the cost and complexity of deployment," said Candice Yuan, Head of XPENG Robotaxi.

Following the launch of employee testing, XPENG plans to complete trial operations and establish regular demonstration services during 2026, using Guangzhou as a model city to develop operational experience that can be replicated globally. The company confirmed it is already exploring potential Robotaxi partnerships across Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

About XPENG

Founded in 2014, XPENG is a leading AI-driven mobility company that designs, develops, manufactures, and markets Smart EVs, catering to a growing base of tech-savvy consumers. With the rapid advancement of AI, XPENG aspires to become a global leader in AI mobility, with a mission to drive the Smart EV revolution through cutting-edge technology, shaping the future of mobility. To enhance the customer experience, XPENG develops its full-stack advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) technology and intelligent in-car operating system in-house, along with core vehicle systems such as the powertrain and electrical/electronic architecture (EEA). Headquartered in Guangzhou, China, XPENG also operates key offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, and Amsterdam. Its Smart EVs are primarily manufactured at its facilities in Zhaoqing and Guangzhou, Guangdong province. XPENG is listed at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: XPEV) and Hong Kong Exchange (HKEX: 9868).

Contacts: 
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.xpeng.com/

SOURCE XPENG