XPeng has begun employee testing of its robotaxi service, with Guangzhou chosen for its first trial operations.
Chairman and chief executive He Xiaopeng was the first internal passenger in the GX-based robotaxi. He ordered a car, was collected and completed the trip through XPeng’s platform, from the ride request and autonomous dispatch to pick-up and arrival.
XPeng said the run confirmed that its booking, dispatch and vehicle systems now work as one service.
The closed trial follows the programme’s unveiling at XPeng AI Day in November 2025.
In May, XPeng said its first mass-produced robotaxi had rolled off the production line in Guangzhou, ahead of trial operations scheduled for the second half of 2026.
The robotaxi runs XPeng’s VLA 2.0 artificial intelligence model on the company’s Turing chips. XPeng said it uses much of the same underlying hardware and software as its Level 2 driver-assistance functions and Level 4 autonomous-driving programme.
It is designed to work without lidar-heavy sensor arrays or high-definition maps. Candice Yuan, head of XPeng Robotaxi, said the model can adapt to different environments, reducing the cost and preparation needed to enter another city.
XPeng does not intend to operate large ride-hailing fleets itself. It plans to supply the vehicles, autonomous-driving hardware and software, leaving local companies to manage fleets and passenger services.
The company aims to complete trials and establish regular demonstration services in Guangzhou during 2026 before taking the programme to other cities.
XPeng said it is discussing possible robotaxi projects in Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, but has not named any companies, cities or proposed launch dates.
