XPENG's Iron Humanoid Robot Walked Out Immediately After Being Assembled

Tesla has company in the humanoid robot race

The Tesla parallel is easy to spot. Both carmakers are eager to apply their AI and manufacturing skills to robots. Tesla announced that it would convert Model S and X production lines for Optimus, and its second-quarter filing included preparations for large-scale robot production. It's too early to declare a winner, though.

Others have already built humanoids in meaningful quantities. In April, Figure reported that it had produced over 350 Figure 03 robots and demonstrated a production cycle of one robot per hour. Those robots were allocated to uses including internal development and data collection, so the total shouldn't be read as customer deliveries. # XPENG's Iron humanoid robot walked out immediately after being assembled

Iron made its own exit from XPENG’s new production line, though completing a working day will be a tougher test.

XPENG's latest factory arrival made its own exit. The Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer says its Iron humanoid robot walked autonomously off its newly operational production line after its assembly was complete, paving the way for mass production later this year. Chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng even bestowed a staff badge on it. Onboarding paperwork apparently is already sorted too. ## Iron's first jobs will be in XPENG stores and campuses

Your first encounter with Iron could be during a showroom visit. XPENG has previously mentioned reception and guided tour responsibilities, along with sales assistance. It plans to deploy robots in its own stores and campuses first, with deliveries in China and overseas markets planned for 2027. The announcement did not specify US availability or a price.

XPENG's latest announcement states that Iron has 76 degrees of freedom across its body and 21 in each hand, describing the number of independent ways it can move. That articulation supports walking and moving objects around in a space designed for humans.