EV Startups Race into Humanoid Robots as Xpeng Raises $900M
The race for embodied intelligence is accelerating beyond four-wheeled vehicles. On August 24, three major Chinese EV startups—Xpeng, Leapmotor, and NIO—simultaneously unveiled their entry into humanoid robot development, signaling a new competitive front in the automotive industry.
Xpeng announced that its robotics unit completed a first-round funding of over $900 million, with a post-investment valuation exceeding $6.3 billion (about 43 billion yuan). This substantial capital injection highlights investor confidence in Xpeng's dual-track strategy of smart EVs and embodied AI.
Leapmotor and NIO also released updates on their respective robotics initiatives, though details remain scarce. The synchronized moves reflect a broader trend where automakers leverage their expertise in autonomous driving, sensors, and battery technology to pursue humanoid robots as the next growth engine.