XPENG founder and CEO He Xiaopeng has taken personal control of the company's robotics division, marking a significant strategic shift for the Chinese electric vehicle maker. In an internal letter, He compared the current stage to eight years ago when XPENG began its automotive journey, signaling that robotics is now a core strategic priority alongside electric vehicles.
The IRON humanoid robot is scheduled for mass production in Q4 2026, with deployment as a sales assistant in XPENG retail stores beginning Q1 2027. International expansion is planned for Q2 2027, with home deployment targeted for 2028. The Guangzhou production factory commenced operations in February, supporting the aggressive timeline.
Technical specifications of IRON include a height of 1.72-1.78 meters, weight of 70kg, 82 degrees of freedom, and notably 22 degrees of freedom per hand, powered by three Turing AI chips. Despite the ambitious plans, XPENG's stock dropped 5.5% following the announcement, with $241 million in short positions. However, Morgan Stanley maintained an overweight rating on the stock.
