XPeng has switched on what it calls the world’s first automated production line for advanced humanoid robots. The Chinese automaker’s IRON robot then walked off that line under its own power. According to XPeng, the line runs with more than 80% of its core processes automated. This marks the clearest signal yet that IRON is heading toward real manufacturing.
The robot first went viral back in November 2025. Its walk appeared so smooth that people accused XPeng of hiding a person inside a costume. Engineers even cut open its leg on stage to prove otherwise. Now the company has moved from prototypes to line manufacturing in Guangzhou.
XPeng describes the setup as automotive-grade throughout. Essentially, it borrows the quality systems used to build electric cars.
“The robot production lines were created from scratch with no precedent to follow,” He Xiaopeng, XPeng’s chairman and CEO, said. “Today’s step is small, but XPENG is building the production lines for an entirely new product category.”
The company says this ensures consistent critical-process quality while supporting rapid capacity expansion. Chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng even clipped a staff badge onto IRON, signaling the robot now sits on the payroll.
The manufacturing base itself is enormous in scope. Announced in February, the full-chain facility spans roughly 110,000 square meters. It sits within Guangzhou’s Guangtang Sci-Tech Innovation City in Tianhe District. Notably, XPeng has developed robotics for seven years, evolving from early quadruped machines.
The specifications are genuinely impressive on paper. IRON stands 178 centimeters tall and weighs 70 kilograms. It features 76 degrees of freedom across its body, plus 21 in each hand. Three in-house Turing AI chips power the robot, delivering 2,250 TOPS. Additionally, all-solid-state batteries keep its construction lightweight. It runs XPeng’s second-generation Vision-Language-Action model directly onboard.
The robotics business also arrives well funded. On August 24, the unit raised over $900 million at a $6.3 billion valuation. IDG Capital led that round, with Tencent and Alibaba participating. XPeng called it China’s largest single embodied AI private raise yet.
The Tesla comparison proves unflattering for Elon Musk here. He once predicted Tesla would build 10,000 Optimus robots in 2026. However, Tesla is still converting a car line. XPeng, meanwhile, just turned one on entirely. Even so, initial IRON deployments stay limited to XPeng’s own stores before a 2027 commercial launch.
