Xpeng Inc. (NYSE:XPEV) CEO He Xiaopeng has reiterated the company's focus on physical AI and robotaxi goals.

Not Just An Automaker

The CEO, speaking at an event in Guangzhou, China, on Thursday, shared that the company should also be known for its "physical AI" rather than just an automaker, Reuters reported on Friday.

The Xpeng CEO said that the automaker would benefit from its in-house Turing AI chip amid the sector's push towards AI-integrated vehicles.

He shared that the company "does not want to become a car company that simply sells hardware cheaply," adding that he wished for the company to "become a global technology company" instead.

The CEO also reaffirmed Robotics and Robotaxi commitments, outlining that the company's humanoid robot would enter production in the latter half of the year, while the Robotaxi would begin trials soon, according to the report.

Xpeng's goals could put it firmly in competition with Elon Musk's EV giant Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA), which currently operates a ride-hailing service in multiple U.S. cities, as well as working on its Optimus humanoid robot.

Xpeng's Robotaxi And Robotics Goal

The automaker, during its third-quarter investor meeting last November, shared that it will be releasing 3 Robotaxi models in 2026, adding that the operations were not dependent on "high-definition maps or LiDAR."

Xpeng also said that its Vision-Language-Action (VLA) model would be open-source, signalling possible licensing opportunities. The company will offer its Robotaxi service this year through Chinese tech giant Alibaba Group Holding Limited's (NYSE:BABA) Amap mapping platform.

The company's technology could also challenge chipmaker Nvidia Corp's (NASDAQ:NVDA) Alpamayo self-driving technology, which is also an open-source model taking the VLA approach.

On the Robotics front, Xpeng said that its IRON robot would be deployed in "commercial scenarios, providing services like tour guiding, retail assistance and patrols." The company also shared that it will target producing 1 million units annually by 2030.

Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.

Image via Shutterstock