At the XPENG booth in Berlin, it is not the electric car that attracts the most attention, but a robot. IRON has the proportions of a human body, a mirror-like head instead of a face, and arms that move with almost human smoothness. It looks as if the manufacturer is deliberately playing on the edge — similar enough to a human to spark curiosity, and different enough not to frighten.
Behind the external spectacle lies a practical calculation. XPENG is not trying to create a companion robot for the home — the first IRON units will go to work in shops and at the company's own facilities. This is a typical path for new technology: first a controlled environment where one can learn from mistakes without risking reputation on the mass market.
What exactly can the robot do
IRON has 76 degrees of freedom, with 21 in each hand, giving it mobility approaching that of a human wrist with fingers. Its brain consists of three proprietary Turing chips with combined performance of up to 2250 TOPS — this is XPENG's own development, not components purchased from third-party suppliers. The company is betting on "Physical AI" — systems that allow a robot to independently perceive its environment, plan actions, and execute them without constant remote operator control.
On September 8, 2026, the first serial IRON independently rolled off the production line at the company's new factory, where over 80% of the main processes are already automated. Symbolically: the robot that is supposed to replace human labor is already being produced mostly by robots.
The practical angle: why exactly shops
A shop is an ideal testing ground for a humanoid. The space is predictable, tasks are repetitive — placing goods, guiding a customer, carrying a box — and mistakes cost less than, say, in a warehouse or manufacturing facility. If IRON holds up there for a year without major failures, the company will have an argument for entering the industrial market, where demand for robotic labor is much greater.
Mass production of IRON is planned to begin by the end of 2026, with the first commercial deliveries in China and international markets expected in 2027.
The context here is broader than a single robot. XPENG has already tested its autonomous driving system in Germany, and Chinese cars for the first time captured over one-tenth of the European new car market in May. The European Union, meanwhile, is preparing to impose quotas on Chinese imports. Humanoid robots may become the next front of this competition — the only question is whether Europe will manage to establish the rules of the game before robots like IRON appear not on exhibition stands, but behind the counters of ordinary shops.
