Xpeng raise stakes in Europe, promises L4 Robotaxi by 2026 in China
Xpeng announced the “In Europe, with Europe” strategy at IAA Mobility in Germany as the company deepens its focus on the EU market. CEO He Xiaopeng said they will launch Robotaxi in 2026 in China, together with the first mass-produced L4 autonomous vehicles.
Xpeng will open its first European R&D centre in Munich this week, the company announced at a press event attended by CarNewsChina. It is the third overseas research hub, following Silicon Valley and San Diego in the US. The new R&D will help the Chinese automaker to localise its vehicles for the EU market, where its sales have been growing rapidly in recent months.
“Our global journey started in Europe in 2021,” said Xpeng’s VP Brian Gu, referring to entering Norway, which Germany, the Netherlands, France and Italy followed. Xpeng is currently present at 46 global markets. 30% of company employees work in R&D.
Xpeng will start mass producing L4 autonomous vehicles in China in 2026 and start Robotaxi trials. “In China, Xpeng is a leader in autonomous driving,” adds He Xiaopeng. The company produces its own autonomous driving controller called the Turing AI chip and ditched lidar from its future vehicles in 2024.
The company also started the XNGP rollout for all users in China in 2024. XNGP stands for Xpeng Navigation Guided Pilot, and it’s Xpeng’s answer to Tesla’s FSD, which doesn’t rely on HD maps, in most cases. Xpeng will launch NGP outside China in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Updated Xpeng P7 sedan had its European debut under the international name Th Next P7. The EV features a futuristic design, a top speed of 230 km/h, 0-100 km/h acceleration in 3.7 seconds and 585 hp. Xpeng claims it holds a world record in 24 24-hour endurance test for mass-produced EVs, as it travelled 3,961 km.
Volkswagen-backed Xpeng entered the largest EU car market – Germany – in 2024. In August, it sold 283 vehicles, up over 700% year-over-year and up 17.9% from July. In 2025 (January-August), Xpeng sold 1,348 vehicles in Germany.
Globally, Xpeng sold 37,709 vehicles in August, up 168.7% year-over-year. In 2025 (Jan-Aug), they sold 271,615 vehicles, up 251.8% from the same period last year. The automaker’s vehicle margin is 14.3%, according to data shared by the company.
