(Yicai) June 10 -- He Xiaopeng, founder and chief executive officer of Xpeng Group, said he will take charge of the Chinese technology firm’s robotics business to better coordinate resources and drive development before mass production of its first humanoid begins in the fourth quarter.

He will serve concurrently as CEO of the group and its robotics business, with immediate effect, He said today in an internal memo seen by Yicai. He described the move as a response to a “historic turning point” for the Guangzhou-based company, namely “the eve of mass production and commercialization of its robotics business.”

The robotics unit draws on capabilities across Xpeng, including hardware, artificial intelligence  models, supply chain management, and marketing, He said. With mass production nearing, tighter coordination is needed to mobilize resources efficiently and leverage the firm's accumulated operating experience, he pointed out.

The move is also intended to send a message to the industry that Xpeng plans to apply the manufacturing, supply chain, and global expansion expertise developed in its auto business to robotics, accelerating the rollout of its Iron humanoid robot while maintaining high quality, He noted.

Robotics is a key pillar in Xpeng's evolution from an "intelligent car company" into a "physical AI company,” he said, adding that its auto, robotics, and global operations are expected to serve as its three primary growth engines over the next 10 years.

On April 1, the company changed its name from Xpeng Motor to Xpeng Group, a move that He said at the time underscored its transition from a carmaker into a technology firm. President Brian Gu described the rebranding as part of a broader push into physical AI.

Under previously announced plans, Xpeng plans to begin mass production of humanoid robots by the end of this year, initially producing more than 1,000 a month before gradually ramping up to 50,000 a year. The robots are scheduled to begin pilot operations in Xpeng's retail stores in the first quarter of next year, where they will assist with customer reception and guidance.

Xpeng also intends to start delivering robots to overseas commercial customers in the second quarter of next year, with household deployments targeted for 2028.

“Xpeng’s goal is to build humanoid robots that can communicate, reason, and interact through natural language while operating safely alongside people, rather than machines that can only function at a distance,” He said. Its vision is to bring robots into households, creating elegant, beautiful, and safe machines that can interact closely with humans, he added.

The commercialization of humanoid robots is gathering pace, with sales in China likely to surge 133 percent to 28,000 this year from 2025, doubling a previous prediction of 14,000, according to a recent report by Morgan Stanley. Sales may top 262,000 in 2030 and 2.6 million in 2035, the bank predicts.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev