At its AI Day in Guangzhou, XPENG left the audience speechless. The EV maker unveiled its new humanoid robot IRON, moving so gracefully across the stage that many thought it had to be human.
CEO He Xiaopeng clarified: no actor, no trick — just technology. With IRON, XPENG aims to bridge cars, AI, and robotics, marking its evolution into an “embodied intelligence company.”
🎭 Model walk, microchip brain: Standing 1.7 meters tall and weighing 70 kg, IRON features a bionic spine, artificial muscles, and flexible skin. With 82 joints — 22 in each hand — it moves with uncanny human precision.
🧠 Three brains, one body: Inside runs XPENG’s in-house system of three AI models — VLT, VLA, and VLM — powered by three Turing chips delivering 3,000 TOPS. IRON can recognize faces, speak in real time, and even display emotions on a facial screen.
🔋 Beauty with a solid core: Beneath its soft, sensor-equipped skin lies a solid-state battery — a first, according to XPENG. Users can even customize body shape, gender, and outfit. The company calls it “extreme anthropomorphism.”
🧪 Not for your living room (yet): Too complex and costly for households, IRON will first work as a tour guide, receptionist, or sales assistant — a proving ground for future applications.
👀 What else?
XPENG is also developing flying cars and its own Turing chips. Subsidiary Xpeng Aeridge plans the first public flights of vertical takeoff EVs by 2026.
The company will also roll out three robotaxi models in Chinese cities that same year — all powered by the same AI chips as IRON.
Through a partnership with Alibaba’s AMap, users will soon be able to book autonomous rides directly via app — accelerating XPENG’s push into global mobility.
Sources: CNBC, TechNode, Global Times
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