XPeng Group Chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng stated that the company aims to produce the most human-like humanoid robots. During the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, He Xiaopeng and XPeng Group Vice Chairman and Co-President Gu Hongdi engaged in discussions with the media.
Regarding humanoid robots, He Xiaopeng expressed his belief that robots will take many forms over the next 20 years, including both humanoid and non-humanoid types. XPeng's objective is to develop the most human-like humanoid robot. He provided three reasons for choosing the humanoid path. First, XPeng previously spent three years developing quadruped robots, but found that when such robots enter a home and attempt to turn around in tight spaces, they often collide with walls because many environments are designed for humans.
Second, XPeng's humanoid robot features skin, muscles, 80 joints, and over ten sensors, with the expectation that it can interact with people. If it does not resemble a human or possess human-like temperature and tactile senses, it remains merely a machine. "If you want robots to enter everyone's life, you need them to be like humans," he said.
Third, over the past centuries and millennia, humans have invented countless tools, each capable of performing many tasks. A humanoid robot can utilize all human tools. "For example, our robot's hands are replaceable; it can swap them itself in 20 seconds. This allows the robot to perform highly precise tasks or heavy-duty work simply by changing its hands. Therefore, a human-like robot is, in my opinion, the most versatile, the most capable of integrating into our lives, and the type of robot we most want to create," He Xiaopeng explained.
He Xiaopeng mentioned that future robots will not only assist with cooking, cleaning, and household chores but are also envisioned as good friends to humans, even companions in life, family, and work. He hopes XPeng's robots will expand from China to the global market. He revealed that in the third quarter of this year, the public will see a more advanced, automotive-grade, highly human-like robot from XPeng. The company aims to achieve mass production in China by the end of this year and begin deliveries in more countries next year.
Regarding the commercial implementation of humanoid robots, He Xiaopeng stated that XPeng's strategy is to first target commercial applications, then industrial uses, and finally the home environment. The initial commercial application XPeng envisions for its humanoid robots is as store sales assistants. These robots will possess basic walking and language abilities, operate without an internet connection using local computing power, and learn store-specific knowledge to develop relevant skills. If a store owner purchases two robots, they can seamlessly replicate tasks and cooperate with each other, representing the foundational capability XPeng aims to develop initially.
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