Overview
- Xpeng said mass production of its Iron humanoid will begin at the end of 2026, formalizing its commercial timeline.
- The company plans to place Iron in its stores, office parks and factories by the end of next year, highlighting features like fake muscles and “bionic skin” to encourage human contact.
- Xpeng envisions selling 1 million Iron units by 2030, and its CEO said costs could eventually fall to roughly the level of building cars.
- Elon Musk publicly praised Iron, and reporting says Tesla aims to start mass production of Optimus by late 2026.
- Other Chinese automakers are entering the field, including Chery with AI firm Aimoga on the Mornine humanoid, Nio with a robotic dog plan, and efforts by BYD, GAC Group and Seres.