Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Xpeng announced on Monday that it has commenced mass production of its first robotaxi at the company’s Guangzhou headquarters. The vehicle is based on Xpeng’s GX platform and, according to the company, is the first production-ready, pre-assembled robotaxi in China developed using in-house technologies.
Xpeng said it intends to begin pilot robotaxi operations in the second half of this year. Company leadership has set a broader target of launching fully driverless operations by early 2027.
President Brian Gu told investors last month that Xpeng expects to manufacture anywhere from hundreds to thousands of robotaxis over the next 12 to 18 months. That production projection was provided as a near-term manufacturing outlook tied to the beginning of mass production at the Guangzhou facility.
The robotaxi represents a move by Xpeng deeper into driverless mobility and humanoid robotics, an expansion of focus beyond its traditional passenger vehicle business. The company said the new model is built using its internal technologies and positioned as a pre-assembled, production-ready offering.
The firm has described the vehicle as being developed on its GX platform. Xpeng called the robotaxi China’s first production-ready, pre-assembled robotaxi model developed with technologies produced in-house.
The company’s timing includes pilot launches slated for the second half of this year and a target for fully driverless operations by early 2027. Production ambitions tied to the current ramp-up envision a significant build rate over the next one to one-and-a-half years, with the expectation of delivering between hundreds and thousands of units during that period, as stated by President Brian Gu last month.
This push into autonomous mobility and robotics comes as competition intensifies in the nation’s auto market. Xpeng has positioned the robotaxi program as a strategic initiative alongside its broader product and technology efforts.
Impact areas - The manufacturing and automotive technology sectors may be directly affected by Xpeng’s production ramp, with potential implications for supply chain activity, production rates, and capital allocation within the electric vehicle and robotics segments.