He Xiaopeng Takes Helm of XPeng Robotics as CEO to Accelerate Mass Production of IRON Humanoid Robot

On June 10, He Xiaopeng, founder of XPeng Group, issued an internal letter announcing that, effective immediately, he would personally assume the role of CEO of the company’s robotics division in addition to continuing as Group CEO. He stated that this move comes as XPeng Robotics approaches the eve of mass production and commercialization, marking a critical step in the company’s strategic transformation from a “smart EV company” to a “physical AI company.” In the letter, He emphasized that the group will fully integrate resources and leverage its automotive business’s accumulated capabilities in supply chain, manufacturing, quality control, and global operations to accelerate the delivery of its IRON humanoid robot with maximum speed and highest quality. IRON was first unveiled on November 5, 2025, at XPeng Tech Day, drawing widespread attention on social media for its highly human-like “catwalk” gait. Some netizens questioned whether it was remotely operated by a human. In response, He released a single-take video revealing the robot’s internal components, including lattice-based artificial muscles and controllers on its back, shoulder-mounted transport fixtures, microphone arrays in its ears, and harmonic joints in its hands. IRON is powered by three Turing AI chips and already runs XPeng’s second-generation Vision-Language-Action (VLA) technology stack. The company plans to enhance its motion and control capabilities in the second half of 2024 and aims to achieve monthly production of over 1,000 units by year-end, initially deploying them in retail stores and campuses for tasks such as guided tours and customer assistance. Construction of IRON’s mass-production facility began in Guangzhou in Q1 2024, with full-scale mass production targeted for completion by the end of 2026. Globally, more than 20 major automakers have already entered the humanoid robotics space. Tesla, which launched its Optimus project in August 2021, continues steady progress and plans to begin production of Optimus Gen 3 in summer 2024, targeting large-scale mass production by 2027. Chinese automakers, though later entrants, are advancing rapidly: BYD initiated its “Yao Shun Yu” project in 2022, aiming to deploy 20,000 units internally by 2026 and achieve full commercial rollout by 2028; Chery unveiled its MoJia “WuYou” humanoid in March 2025 and completed global deliveries of over 300 units by January 2026, becoming the first automaker to achieve scaled commercial delivery; Xiaomi’s humanoid robot entered its automotive factory for on-site training in March 2024, with plans for large-scale deployment over the next five years. According to Morgan Stanley, the global installed base of humanoid robots is projected to reach 24.4 million units by 2036 and soar to 1 billion units by 2050, generating annual revenue of $7.5 trillion. China is expected to account for approximately 300 million units—about 30% of the global total—by 2050. The industry is gradually expanding from B2B industrial applications toward the consumer (B2C) market.