China’s XPENG Launches World’s First Automated Factory Where Robots Build More Humanoid Robots
China’s electric vehicle maker XPENG has officially commissioned a dedicated production line for its IRON humanoid robot in Guangzhou. The company says the new manufacturing system has more than 80% of its core production processes automated, marking a move from humanoid-robot prototyping toward production-line manufacturing.
XPENG says the line is specifically designed for advanced general-purpose humanoid robots and applies manufacturing methods developed through its electric-vehicle business. The first IRON robot produced on the line was shown autonomously walking away after completing assembly, demonstrating the company’s intended transition from laboratory development to repeatable manufacturing.
The latest IRON stands approximately 1.73 meters tall and weighs 65 kilograms. It has 76 degrees of freedom across its body, including 21 in each hand, which are designed to provide a high level of dexterity and movement. XPENG says the robot uses three of its in-house Turing AI chips, delivering up to 2,250 TOPS of effective computing power for onboard AI processing.
XPENG is developing IRON as a general-purpose humanoid robot rather than for a single dedicated task. The company says its Physical AI system can run directly on the robot, allowing it to perform complex tasks without remote operation. However, these are the company’s stated capabilities and development goals, while the practical performance of humanoid robots in large-scale real-world applications remains an evolving area.
The production milestone comes shortly after XPENG Robotics raised more than $900 million in its first major funding round in August 2026. The investment gave the robotics business a post-money valuation above $6.3 billion, with the funds intended for hardware and software development, AI-model training, data collection, mass-production facilities and international commercialization.
XPENG plans to begin mass production of IRON by the end of 2026, with the first commercial deployments planned for its own stores and campuses. The company then plans to officially launch the robot and begin deliveries in China and overseas markets in 2027. Reuters also reported that XPENG expects commercial deliveries to begin in 2027 as the company expands its robotics business beyond vehicles.
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