Xpeng has completed production of its first mass-produced robotaxi at its Guangzhou facility, marking a milestone as the first automaker in China to achieve large-scale robotaxi manufacturing. The model, built on Xpeng’s GX platform, meets Level 4 autonomous driving standards and integrates four in-house Turing AI chips that deliver up to 3,000 TOPS of computing power.
Departing from traditional LiDAR and high-definition map approaches, the robotaxi relies on a pure-vision autonomous driving system. Its decision-making is powered by the VLA 2.0 end-to-end large model, which the company says reduces response latency to under 80 milliseconds. This architecture enhances the vehicle’s ability to generalize across urban environments, supporting deployment in multiple cities and potential cross-border operations.
The passenger cabin is equipped with privacy glass, zero-gravity seats, and rear entertainment screens. Riders can access multimedia content and adjust vehicle settings via a built-in voice assistant.
Xpeng plans to initiate pilot robotaxi operations in the second half of 2026 to assess technical performance, user acceptance, and its emerging business model. The company aims to operate fully autonomous services without on-site safety officers by early 2027.
To accelerate commercialization, Xpeng formed a dedicated robotaxi business unit in March. This team oversees product definition, research and development, testing, and operations. The company has also released a robotaxi software development kit, with Amap as its first global ecosystem partner.
The rollout represents a pivotal shift from technical validation toward large-scale deployment in the robotaxi sector. By leveraging its integrated capabilities across software, chips, and vehicle manufacturing, Xpeng seeks to shorten the timeline from research to commercial service. The robotaxi, a flagship of Xpeng’s physical AI ecosystem, shares its VLA 2.0 model foundation with the company’s humanoid robot, Iron.
In parallel, Xpeng began pre-sales of the GX full-size SUV on April 15, with prices starting at 399,800 yuan (approximately $58,620). The model is set to officially launch in China on May 20, further positioning Xpeng in the high-end luxury market.
Source: CNEVPost
