XPENG Launches Robotaxi Employee Testing as Pivot to Physical AI

The program arrives just eight months after the initial unveiling of the initiative at XPENG AI Day 2025. By leveraging the company's proprietary Turing AI chip and the VLA2.0 model, the platform serves as a primary application for the firm’s embodied AI research. He Xiaopeng characterized the project as a critical milestone, positioning the vehicle not merely as a car, but as a robotic platform capable of complex decision-making.

Unlike operators that manage proprietary ride-hailing fleets, XPENG aims to function as a technology provider. The company plans to license its software and hardware stacks to local partners, bypassing the need for LIDAR-heavy infrastructure or high-definition maps. This strategy is intended to facilitate rapid scaling across diverse global markets. Following the current employee pilot, the firm expects to launch demonstration services in Guangzhou later this year, with active exploration of partnerships spanning Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.