AI robots and flying cars? This isn't the future, this is Xpeng

Xpeng's Next P7 was front and centre of its keynote presentation at the Munich Motor Show (IAA Mobility). This is one of the nicest looking EVs announced this year – if you ignore the lime green paint – and offers an impressive 593PS and 3.7-second 0-62mph acceleration.

The EV was only part of the story, though. The P7 shared the stage with Xpeng's Iron AI humanoid robot, and its flying car was suspended overhead. This is a company thinking beyond the world of automotive transport.

Xpeng has an overarching interest in AI and is one of only a few companies that has actually developed its own chip for that purpose. Its AI chips power its intelligent driving features, with level 4 autonomous driving capabilities planned for 2026 – that's where the car is driven from outside of the vehicle or has no driver at all.

These level 4 vehicles are planned for use as robotaxis in China, with trials starting next year. The company's full-stack in-house research and development allows Xpeng to deliver technology faster than those using third party companies. It is also responsible for its advanced driving, smart cabin and fast-charging powertrain.

Xpeng also produced China's first and largest self-built charging network, providing the full ecosystem for electric vehicles. That same AI technology though, is also what's driving Xpeng's other interests: flying cars and robots.

All three areas rely on the same AI technology to provide the intelligence. In the case of robots, it's to provide human-like dexterity. Xpeng showed its Iron robot, which stands 178cm tall and weighs 70kg, making a freshly ground cup of coffee with very fine motor control. The robot is already in training for factory use and is aiming for mass production of a next-generation model in 2026.

So far, there have been eight years of R&D into its humanoid robot programme and six generations of robot. The potential of these robots ranges from manufacturing to folding laundry and beyond. Their abilities are a little scary, but according to CEO, He Xiopeng, in 5-15 years, robots could rival cars in scale.

Xpeng believes that in the next 20 years, there will be a huge development of unmanned aerial vehicles. So far, it has spent 12 years and over $600 million in investment in the project. The new seventh generation Xpeng flying car is set to make its inaugural flight in Dubai this October and go into mass production in the second half of 2026.

While we have seen previous versions that drive and fly, this new model is only designed to fly. It can be stored in your garage, or even on the back of the Xpeng transporter. As Doc Brown once said in Back to the Future, "Where we're going, we don't need roads."