Humanoid Robots: Major Developments for XPeng and Unitree

While generative AI apps like ChatGPT and Claude continue to capture the public spotlight, physical AI is quietly gaining momentum in the background. The humanoid robotics sector, in particular, is seeing rapid, tangible breakthroughs with many manufacturers getting close to mass production.

Here, we are going to highlight some recent developments within the humanoid robotics field. As the technology moves towards commercialization, these companies are worth watching.

XPeng is Nearing Mass Production

In XPeng’s recent Q2 earnings¹, posted in late August, the company advised that its robotics business had raised over US$900 million at a post-money valuation of over US$6.3 billion. This represented the largest single-round private financing ever recorded in China's embodied AI industry¹.

In terms of humanoid commercialization, the company said that it plans to begin large-scale deliveries of its IRON product in China and overseas to external customers in the retail and service sectors in 2027¹. Monthly production capacity will be able to be rapidly ramped up to several thousand units in 2027 in response to market demand.

Note that on September 8, XPeng officially commissioned its humanoid robot production line², manufacturing its first advanced humanoid. This resulted in an IRON humanoid autonomously walking off the production line, marking a critical leap from R&D prototyping to production-line manufacturing.

Looking ahead, management believes that the launch of its IRON humanoids will generate meaningful gross profit growth for the company. This will support continued R&D investment in physical AI.

Unitree Completes IPO and Launches “Superman” Model

Elsewhere in the humanoid robotics space, Unitree Robotics completed its highly-anticipated IPO in August. This saw the Chinese company – which delivered 5,500 humanoids in 2025³ – raise approximately $905 million³.

On the first day of trading, Unitree stock surged nearly 630% intra-day before closing up 460%³. This signaled that investor interest in humanoid robot stocks remains high, and the IPO could set a benchmark for other humanoid manufacturers.

It’s worth noting that shortly before the IPO, Unitree unveiled a new humanoid robot called “Superman.” This can jump two meters from a standing position and run at speeds of up to 12.66 meters per second⁴.

According to the company, this model – which was developed in just three months⁴ – has significant room for improvement. Currently, it has no hands or grippers – it exists purely to push locomotion limits.

Footnotes:

¹XPeng, XPENG REPORTS Q2 2026 RESULTS: GROSS MARGIN REACHES 20.7%, OVERSEAS MARKET DRIVES 25% OF H1 REVENUE, as of August 26, 2026

²XPeng, IRON, THE FIRST GENERAL-PURPOSE HUMANOID ROBOT, ROLLS OFF XPENG'S NEW PRODUCTION LINE, as of September 8, 2026

³BBC, Chinese robotics giant Unitree soars in stock market debut, as of 19 August 2026

⁴Interesting Engineering, Video: Unitree’s humanoid claims to outrun Usain Bolt and jump 6.5 feet vertically, as of August 18, 2026