Chinese EV giant XPeng is gearing up for a massive 2026 product offensive, announcing over 10 new models including three full-stack Robotaxis, as revealed in a December 10 industry report. This surge coincides with Tesla's imminent unsupervised Robotaxi trials in Austin, Li Auto's defense of VLA tech amid debates, and Voiture's new PHEV launch, underscoring China's accelerating push in autonomous driving and extended-range EVs amid booming first-time buyer demand.
XPeng's Ambitious 2026 Lineup: Robotaxis and More
XPeng plans to launch over 10 new models in 2026, blending extended-range hybrids and pure EVs:
- Three Kunpeng super-extended-range models: Expected for G6, G7, and P7+.
- MONA family compact SUV: Second model in the affordable lineup.
- Updated X9 pure EV and G9: Already listed on MIIT filings, with launches imminent.
The crown jewel? Three production Robotaxis with L4 autonomy, featuring dual redundancies in compute, steering, vision, battery, braking, and comms. Powered by 4 Turing A chips (up to 3000 TOPS) and XPeng's second-gen VLA model for global traffic adaptation, these will enter trial operations in 2026.
This positions XPeng against rivals like Tesla, whose CEO Elon Musk confirmed on December 10 that Austin Robotaxis will drop safety drivers in three weeks (pre-2025 deadline), marking a pivotal unsupervised milestone.
Autonomous Driving Wars Heat Up: Li Auto Claps Back
Li Auto's AD chief Lang Xianpeng fired back at Unitree's Wang Xingxing's VLA skepticism, insisting "judge by results, not architecture." Backed by 150万+ vehicles and 3.12亿 km of real-world data, Li's VLA generates trajectories via GPT-like methods, showing emergent world cognition.
Key stats:
- Total compute: 13 EFLOPS (3 for inference, 10 for training).
- Prediction: 1000 MPI next year could spark a "ChatGPT moment" for VLA.
| Company | Data Volume | Compute Power | VLA Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Li Auto | 3.12B km | 13 EFLOPS | Real-world closed-loop |
| XPeng | N/A | 3000 TOPS (Robotaxi) | Global adaptation |
Ideal emphasizes embodied intelligence, integrating perception, models, OS, chips, and chassis for human-like driving—far beyond cloud sims.
Voiture's Zeguang L PHEV: Luxury Meets Range
Voiture launched the Zeguang L on December 10, priced at 27.99万-30.99万元 ($38K-$42K USD). Highlights:
- 800V hybrid + 63kWh battery: 410km pure EV, 1400km total range.
- Extreme cold charging: 13 min 20-80% at -20°C.
- Huawei ADS 4.0 (29 sensors) + HarmonyOS 5 cockpit.
- Full aluminum chassis, air suspension (Ultra), 5.5m turning radius.
Family perks: Zero-gravity seats, 6.6L cold/warm box, four-zone AC. Policies include 0% interest and lifetime three-electric warranty.
VW-XPeng Collab Accelerates, First Model Lands Dec 31
VW and XPeng's joint WithCrowd 07 hits roads December 31 after just 18 months development on VW's China-specific CEA architecture. Specs: 4853mm length, 170kW motor, Gotion LFP battery—blending German engineering with Chinese speed.
Market Boom: 47% First-Time Buyers Eye EVs
Bloomberg survey (Nov 2024, 1000 respondents): 47% of China's first-time buyers plan EVs (up from 25% last year); 52% overall. Drivers: Smart tech, low costs, ultra-fast charging (BYD/CATL: 400-520km in 5 min). China targets 28M chargers by 2027 (+50%). NEV sales to hit 1600万辆 this year.
Why This Matters: Global Implications
China's EV ecosystem—led by XPeng, Li Auto, Voiture—challenges Tesla with faster iteration and data advantages. Robotaxi pushes (XPeng L4, Tesla unsupervised) could disrupt ride-hailing globally, while PHEVs like Zeguang L address range anxiety in emerging markets. Amid subsidy cuts, tech like VLA and 800V platforms ensure price parity with ICE, exporting dominance (e.g., VW-XPeng). Moore Threads' 750元/share GPU surge signals China's AI chip self-reliance.
Looking Ahead
2026 will test XPeng's 10+ launches against Tesla's Robotaxi scale-up. If Li's VLA hits 1000 MPI, Chinese AD could leapfrog. Watch Dec 31 for VW-XPeng debut and Austin trials—milestones accelerating the autonomous EV era worldwide.
