More Than Just Another Car Company

Xpeng Inc. (XPEV) CEO He Xiaopeng has a message for anyone who thinks his company is simply another electric vehicle manufacturer: think bigger. Speaking at an event in Guangzhou, China on Thursday, the CEO emphasized that Xpeng should be recognized for its "physical AI" capabilities rather than being pigeonholed as just an automaker.

He didn't mince words about his vision. The company "does not want to become a car company that simply sells hardware cheaply," he explained, adding that his goal is for Xpeng to "become a global technology company" instead. It's an ambitious pivot, especially in a crowded EV market where margins are getting squeezed and differentiation matters.

The strategy centers on Xpeng's in-house Turing AI chip, which the CEO believes will give the company an edge as the automotive industry races toward AI-integrated vehicles. It's a bet that proprietary technology, not just manufacturing scale, will separate winners from losers in the next phase of the EV revolution.

Robotaxis and Robots on the Horizon

He also reaffirmed the company's robotics and robotaxi commitments, providing some concrete timelines. The company's humanoid robot will enter production in the latter half of this year, while robotaxi trials will begin soon. These ambitions put Xpeng in direct competition with Tesla Inc. (TSLA), which already operates a ride-hailing service in multiple U.S. cities and is developing its Optimus humanoid robot.

The robotaxi roadmap is surprisingly aggressive. During its third-quarter investor meeting last November, Xpeng announced plans to release three robotaxi models in 2026. What's notable is that the operations won't depend on "high-definition maps or LiDAR," suggesting a vision-based approach similar to Tesla's strategy.

Xpeng plans to offer its robotaxi service this year through Alibaba Group Holding Limited's (BABA) Amap mapping platform. The company also said its Vision-Language-Action model would be open-source, signaling possible licensing opportunities. That open-source approach could challenge Nvidia Corp's (NVDA) Alpamayo self-driving technology, which also uses a VLA model.

On the robotics front, Xpeng's IRON robot will be deployed in "commercial scenarios, providing services like tour guiding, retail assistance and patrols." The company has set an ambitious target of producing one million units annually by 2030, a timeline that reflects confidence in both the technology and market demand for humanoid robots in commercial settings.