XPENG has begun employee testing of its Robotaxi platform, with Chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng completing the company’s first full autonomous ride this week — a milestone arriving eight months after the platform’s debut at XPENG AI Day 2025. According to XPENG, the announcement came during the company’s first companywide Robotaxi business meeting, where He Xiaopeng framed the platform as central to the company’s shift from smart electric vehicles to what he called “robotic vehicles.” The Robotaxi runs on XPENG’s self-developed Turing AI chip and second-generation VLA model — the same technology foundation underpinning the company’s L2 and L4 driving systems, the company says. XPENG plans to expand testing toward demonstration service later this year, using Guangzhou as a base while exploring partnerships in Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
Highlights
- CEO He Xiaopeng became the first passenger to complete a full order-to-drop-off Robotaxi journey, marking the start of employee testing
- The launch arrives eight months after XPENG first unveiled the Robotaxi platform at AI Day 2025
- The platform runs on XPENG’s Turing AI chip and second-generation VLA model, the same foundation used in the company’s L2 and L4 driving systems
- XPENG plans to act as a Robotaxi technology provider rather than a fleet operator, with partnerships targeted in Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia
From Smart EVs to “Robotic Vehicles”
He Xiaopeng used XPENG’s first companywide Robotaxi business meeting to lay out the platform’s strategic role, according to the company.
“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.”
XPENG describes Robotaxi as one of its most complete Physical AI applications, combining its work in intelligent vehicles, autonomous driving, and embodied AI into a single platform, according to the company.
A Technology-Provider Approach to Global Scale
Rather than operating ride-hailing fleets itself, XPENG intends to supply the software, hardware, and AI capabilities behind autonomous mobility and work with local partners on the ground, the company says. The platform draws on the same technology base as XPENG’s L2 and L4 driving systems and is designed for deployment without heavy reliance on LiDAR or high-definition maps, according to XPENG.
“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.
Guangzhou as the Proving Ground
XPENG plans to complete trial operations and establish regular demonstration service during 2026, using Guangzhou as a model city to build operational experience it can replicate elsewhere, according to the company. This follows the company’s earlier rollout of its first mass-produced L4 Robotaxi in the same city. XPENG confirmed it is exploring Robotaxi partnerships across Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, though it has not named specific markets or timelines.
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