With its humanoid robot Iron, Xpeng introduces an 80% automated production line, gaining a competitive edge over Tesla in the industry.

Xpeng has just launched its dedicated production line for its Iron humanoid robot, with over 80% of the processes automated. Mass production is scheduled for by the end of 2026, followed by a commercial release in 2027. In the field of robotics, this Chinese automaker is thus taking a lead over Tesla and its Optimus robot.

Xpeng is accelerating in the development of humanoid robots. Less than a year after unveiling its Iron robot, the Chinese manufacturer announces the operation of its dedicated production line for this humanoid robot. The project is gradually moving from the prototype stage to industrialization.

An automated line with over 80% automation

The line was designed from the start to enable increased production speed. According to the manufacturer, over 80% of the processes are automated. Xpeng presents its line as the first in the world specifically built for manufacturing an advanced humanoid robot.

Upon launch, a newly assembled Iron rolled off the production line on its own. This symbolic act is primarily meant to demonstrate the level of integration achieved by the manufacturer. However, this step does not mean mass production has already begun. Xpeng plans to launch it by the end of 2026, with initial deployments taking place in its stores and campuses.

Designed to perform complex tasks in real-world environments, the Xpeng Iron is equipped with three Turing chips capable of handling up to 2,250 TOPS (trillions of operations per second). This computing power enables its on-board AI model to operate directly without constant remote control, thereby reducing latency and minimizing data exchanges with external servers.

Commercial release expected in 2027

Xpeng plans to officially launch Iron in China and internationally in 2027. The company even estimates that the gross margins per robot could exceed those of its electric vehicles. To fund this expansion, its robotics subsidiary Dogotix raised $900 million in August through a financing round led by IDG Capital, with Alibaba and Tencent also participating.

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Xpeng gaining an industrial edge over Tesla

A comparison with Tesla is inevitable. The American automaker has been developing its Tesla Optimus robot since 2021 and converted its Model S and Model X production lines in Fremont to manufacture this humanoid robot. Production there began at the end of August 2026, but Elon Musk warned that scaling up would be a very gradual process.

Xpeng can thus claim an advantage in terms of industrial organization: its production line was designed from the start for Iron and already features over 80% automation, whereas Tesla began by adapting an existing automotive line. The competition remains undecided, however. The actual number of robots produced, their cost, and especially their ability to perform useful tasks will be the real criteria for comparing the two manufacturers, who now aim for 2027 to accelerate commercialization.