The Year of Physical AI: How Xpeng Is Reshaping Global Mobility with Dual-Energy Strategy and L4 Autonomous Driving

2026 is defined by He Xiaopeng as an “unprecedented product year” and the strategic starting point for XpengUAE XpengKSA XpengKuwait XpengQatar XpengOman XpengBahrain XpengEgypt Xpeng to move from “steady progress to breakthrough.” This new force in intelligent driving is attempting to simultaneously complete the expansion of its core automotive business and the commercial rollout of three frontier business lines within a single year. In his start-of-work letter at the beginning of the year, He set a clear milestone for 2026: to fully push the technological reserves accumulated over the past several years into mass production—a dividing line from “capable of making” to “capable of mass production”. At the same time, Xpeng is evolving from a pure automaker into an “embodied AI company” covering smart cars, flying cars and humanoid robots.

Second-Generation VLA: The Physical World Model Ushering in the L4 Era

In January 2026, at its annual global new product launch event, Xpeng officially unveiled the second-generation VLA (Vision-Language-Action model). Described by He Xiaopeng as “the industry’s first physical world large model to achieve L4-level capabilities,” it fundamentally reconstructs the paradigm of autonomous driving.

Unlike traditional autonomous driving systems, the second-generation VLA eliminates the “language translation” step, achieving for the first time end-to-end direct generation from visual signals to action commands, allowing physical AI to directly “see” and understand the real world. On the model level, it is a native multimodal physical world large model integrating “seeing, hearing and reading” — not just an autonomous driving model, but applicable to robotaxis, flying cars and humanoid robots. On the data front, the second-generation VLA has accumulated 50PB of training data, with each version using 4 trillion tokens. On the computing power front, Xpeng has increased model compilation efficiency by 12 times through joint optimization of chips, compilers and models.

In real-world driving, the second-generation VLA can recognize various irregular vehicles, navigate around accident scenes, slow down in advance on rough roads, and yield to small animals at night. It covers the entire driving spectrum — from campus paths and rural dirt roads to roads without navigation — improving overall driving efficiency by 23%. In an AMA livestream, He Xiaopeng said the second-generation VLA sometimes drives better than professional drivers, and since test drives began at Xpeng stores, demand has doubled.

Currently, the Xpeng Robotaxi equipped with the second-generation VLA has begun open-road testing and will launch trial operations this year. VolkswagenUAE VolkswagenBahrain VolkswagenEgypt VolkswagenKSA VolkswagenKuwait VolkswagenOman VolkswagenQatar Volkswagen will be the first customer to adopt Xpeng‘s second-generation VLA. Morgan Stanley commented: “TeslaUAE TeslaBahrain TeslaEgypt TeslaKSA TeslaKuwait TeslaOman TeslaQatar Tesla will face increasing competition from Chinese companies like Xpeng that have the capability to compete globally in autonomous driving technology.”

Kunpeng Super Extended-Range: Breaking the Technological Divide with “One Car, Two Energies”

On January 8, 2026, Xpeng launched four new models in Guangzhou, with the core highlight being the full rollout of the “Kunpeng Super Extended-Range” technology.

Xpeng’s extended-range solution is not a simple “fuel-to-electric” conversion. Instead, it systematically transfers 11 years of deep pure-electric R&D accumulation — including full-domain 800V architecture, 5C ultra-fast charging and ultra-thin battery packs — into the extended-range field. The two new extended-range models are priced exactly the same as their pure-electric counterparts, allowing users to enjoy both long range and flexible refueling without paying extra.

The Xpeng G7Bahrain Xpeng G7Egypt Xpeng G7KSA Xpeng G7Kuwait Xpeng G7Oman Xpeng G7Qatar Xpeng G7UAE Xpeng G7 Super Extended-Range, equipped with a 55.8kWh large battery pack and a 60L fuel tank, achieves a CLTC combined range of 1,704 km — making it the world’s longest-range extended-range SUV. Even in extreme cold of minus 20 degrees Celsius, its tested range still reaches 1,108.3 km. The 2026 Xpeng P7+ Super Extended-Range achieves a CLTC pure-electric range of 430 km and a combined range of 1,550 km, making it the world’s longest-range extended-range sedan. Both models support 800V high-voltage fast charging, with the G7 Super Extended-Range able to recharge 314 km of range in just 12 minutes.

Notably, Xpeng excels in energy management as well. The P7+ achieves a minimum energy consumption of just 10.9 kWh/100 km in pure-electric mode, while the G7 Super Extended-Range has a fuel consumption of just 5.9 L/100 km when the battery is depleted — and it runs on standard 92-octane gasoline. Through AI-driven start-stop logic, ultra-quiet range extenders and full-vehicle acoustic packaging, Xpeng has achieved a pure-electric-like driving experience that is “quiet and seamless in over 95% of scenarios”.

Turing AI Chip: Democratizing High-Performance Computing

In 2026, Xpeng‘s self-developed Turing AI chip has become the core technological foundation across its entire product lineup.

On April 2, Xpeng launched the facelifted MONA M03, its high-volume model, which for the first time features the self-developed Turing chip. A single Turing chip delivers 750 TOPS of effective computing power, while the Ultra SE version is equipped with dual Turing AI chips, achieving a total computing power of 1,500 TOPS. This marks the first time Xpeng has brought flagship autonomous driving computing power down to the sub-150,000 yuan price segment. This version features the full second-generation VLA physical world large model, enabling full-scenario XNGP intelligent assisted driving from parking spot to parking spot, covering highways, urban roads, expressways and parking scenarios.

He Xiaopeng stated that starting in the second quarter of this year, all models including the Max version will be switched to the self-developed Turing chip, with an annual shipment target of nearly one million units. At the same time, Xpeng will make its Turing chip and intelligent solutions available to other automakers, embodied AI companies and Tier 1 suppliers.

On the 2026 Xpeng X9Bahrain Xpeng X9Egypt Xpeng X9KSA Xpeng X9Kuwait Xpeng X9Oman Xpeng X9Qatar Xpeng X9UAE Xpeng X9 pure-electric version, the Turing AI chip comes as standard equipment across all trims, delivering up to 2,250 TOPS of effective computing power, providing robust support for high-end autonomous driving and smart cockpits, while also featuring the AI Tiangong 6.0 intelligent cockpit system. The Xpeng G6Bahrain XPeng G6Egypt XPeng G6KSA XPeng G6Kuwait XPeng G6Oman XPeng G6Qatar XPeng G6UAE XPeng G6 starts at 176,800 yuan, delivering six all-around capabilities — high computing power, ultra-fast charging and spacious interior — enabled by the Turing AI chip, 5C battery and 800V high-voltage platform. The G7 starts at 195,800 yuan, while the G9, positioned as an AI-powered intelligent luxury SUV, starts at 248,800 yuan and features a dual-chamber air suspension and an AI-powered chassis intelligent preview system.

Tiangong AIOS 6.0: From “Passive Response” to “Proactive Service”

Building on breakthroughs in physical AI, Xpeng has unveiled the Tiangong AIOS 6.0 system, achieving for the first time an upgrade of the intelligent cockpit from “passive response” to “proactive service”. The system reconstructs the interaction interface with a new “Yuguang” design language, upgrading the traditional navigation interface to 3D lane-level SR navigation — the industry’s first “nationwide usable 3D navigation map”. All four new models come standard with this intelligent cockpit system.

AI Smart Dimming Privacy Glass: Automotive Glass Enters the AI Era

On April 10, 2026, Xpeng and Fuyao Group jointly launched the AI smart dimming privacy glass, which has entered mass production and delivery, debuting on Xpeng‘s new tech flagship, the Xpeng GX. The glass can transition between transparent and private states in just 0.16 seconds — twice as fast as a human blink. For privacy protection, transmittance can be adjusted between 0.6% and 16%, achieving complete opacity from the outside while maintaining full clarity from inside. In its darkest state, it blocks 99.9% of ultraviolet rays and 99.4% of visible light, and supports millions of dimming cycles without degradation, meeting automotive-grade long-term reliability requirements. The glass is integrated into the vehicle‘s electronic and electrical architecture and AI large model, enabling cross-domain integration, with AI intelligently predicting shading needs based on scenarios and external light sensing. The entire vehicle is equipped with six AI smart dimming privacy glass panels with a total area of 1.88 square meters. Featuring a 5-layer laminated structure with custom acoustic interlayers, it reduces noise by 3–5 dB compared to tempered glass of the same thickness.

Flying Cars and Humanoid Robots: From “Capable” to “Mass Production”

2026 also marks a milestone for Xpeng‘s frontier businesses, moving from concept to mass production.

In his start-of-work letter, He Xiaopeng revealed that the “Land Aircraft Carrier” modular flying car has completed pilot production line assembly and will achieve large-scale mass production and delivery within the year. Xpeng Huitian‘s flying car smart manufacturing base has completed pilot production, with the world’s first modern assembly line for flying cars capable of producing one flying car every 30 minutes at full capacity. The “Land Aircraft Carrier” features a world-first automatic docking and undocking structure, with a smart carrier capable of automatically storing, releasing and recharging the flying module. The vehicle-to-aircraft transition can be completed within five minutes. The official estimated price is under 2 million yuan. The model has already received approximately 5,000 orders and is scheduled to enter overseas markets in 2027. Meanwhile, the next-generation IRON humanoid robot will begin mass production by the end of the year, with Xpeng aiming to become the “world‘s first high-end humanoid robot in large-scale production”.

Global Expansion: “Sharp Blade” to Break Through, “Red Carpet” to Win Customers

For its global expansion strategy, He Xiaopeng articulated an eight-character principle: “Sharp blade to break through, red carpet to win customers”. The former refers to products and markets: six models covering the price range of 100,000 to 200,000 yuan, targeting five key markets — Israel, Germany, Norway, Thailand and France — with plans to double the number of channel outlets to 680 this year. The latter refers to delivery and service: improving certainty in every link, including delivery timeliness, service responsiveness and energy replenishment. He expects Xpeng‘s overseas sales to double in 2026, reaching 1 million units by 2030 and contributing over 70% of profits.

The 2026 Xpeng P7+, as the first true “global car” built to global R&D, manufacturing and safety standards, launched simultaneously in 36 countries, including China and Europe. The Xpeng G6 has entered 49 countries and regions worldwide, while the Xpeng G9 has reached 42 countries and regions. In the Middle East, Xpeng Huitian obtained the first overseas manned aircraft special flight permit for a Chinese flying car company in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, in September 2025, and has signed agreements for 600 “Land Aircraft Carriers” with multiple Middle Eastern countries.

From Physical AI to Embodied Intelligence: Xpeng‘s 2026 Report Card

Returning to the Middle East story we discussed earlier — where traditional V6/V8 large-displacement SUVs face new Chinese electric vehicle challengers driven by technology — Xpeng’s 2026 technology matrix provides a powerful answer: physical AI technology has matured enough to reshape global mobility. The second-generation VLA demonstrates with its end-to-end model that autonomous driving can “see” and “understand” the world like a human. Kunpeng Super Extended-Range demonstrates with its “one car, two energies” approach that the technological barrier between pure-electric and extended-range is being broken down. The proliferation of the Turing chip proves that top-tier computing power is no longer the exclusive privilege of flagship models. The mass production of flying cars shows that three-dimensional mobility is transitioning from science fiction to reality. Whether on the red dunes of Saudi Arabia, the city streets of Europe, or the luxury SUV markets of the Middle East, the wave of physical AI is sweeping across the globe.