Electric-vehicle maker headquartered in Guangzhou, China, founded in 2014 and run since 2017 by He Xiaopeng, a 48-year-old billionaire who previously co-founded UCWeb (a mobile browser later bought by Alibaba). In 2023 Volkswagen bought roughly 5% of Xpeng for $700m. The two companies are co-developing two EV models, and VW uses Xpeng's AI chips and driver-assistance systems in some of its Chinese models. An agreement allowed VW engineers to temporarily move to Xpeng's headquarters to learn how it makes cars. VW also bought reams of code from the company.
On April 1st 2026 Xpeng Motors changed its name to Xpeng Group to reflect its broader push into humanoid robots and flying cars; mass production of its "Iron" humanoid robot is due later in 2026, with flying cars in 2027. The company has 7,000 orders for its flying cars. It sold 429,000 EVs in 2025 and turned a profit for the first time in the fourth quarter of 2025; it plans to spend $1bn on AI in 2026. Xpeng has showrooms in roughly 60 countries.
Politics -- the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich by promising to protect each from the other.