XPeng merges teams to launch General AI Center

XPeng has merged its autonomous driving and smart cockpit divisions into a new General AI Center, led by Liu Xianming and reporting directly to CEO He Xiaopeng.

The center will focus on AI models, infrastructure, and product quality across automotive and robotics applications.

Previously, the teams operated separately, but differences in development pace prompted the restructuring.

XPeng recently launched four new vehicle models, including Ultra versions with multiple chips for autonomous driving and smart cockpits.

The company also announced its second-generation VLA model, designed for cross-domain use in vehicles, robots, and flying cars.

🔗 Source: Pandaily

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

XPeng is bringing its AI work under one hardware and software setup

This reorganization backs a “Physical AI” strategy. One core model, the second-generation VLA model, is meant to run cars, humanoid robots, and flying cars 1.
VLA 2.0 changes the architecture. It removes the “language translation” step in older systems and moves from visual data straight to action commands 2.
The software runs on XPeng’s custom “Turing” AI chips. New vehicles include Ultra versions with one-, two-, or three-chip options that set different performance tiers 3.
The integrated stack brought in Volkswagen as the launch customer for XPeng VLA 2.0. XPeng also said Volkswagen nominated its Turing AI chip 1.

Cars are paying for a wider AI push in robotics and aviation

XPeng is reshaping its EV business to generate cash for bigger bets in robotics and aviation 4, 2.
The company treats its vehicles as a data-collection fleet. It said it used nearly 100 million real-world video clips to train VLA 2.0 1.
In-house chips and models put XPeng up against suppliers like Nvidia. It is also building more of its platform itself in a way similar to Tesla’s strategy 5.
XPeng said it plans to open-source VLA 2.0 for global business partners to speed wider use. It also pointed to commercial deals such as Volkswagen as the launch customer 1.