XPeng Loses Its Robot Chief as CEO He Xiaopeng Takes Direct Command

XPeng’s robotics division is undergoing a sudden leadership shakeup. Mi Liangchuan, the executive who ran the unit, has left the company, according to Chinese media outlet 21 Auto. Founder and CEO He Xiaopeng has stepped in to personally manage both the robotics center and its product division.

Mi was a core figure in XPeng’s autonomous driving and robotics efforts. Before joining the EV maker, he spent about 15 years at Nvidia working on self-driving technology, then founded his own robotics startup in 2015. He joined XPeng in 2021 as senior director of autonomous driving, and was promoted in 2023 to lead enterprise processes and later the robotics business. Along with three other key figures — Chen Jie, Ge Yixiao, and Liu Xianming — he was seen as one of the four pillars of XPeng’s robot team.

The departure follows a similar exit in early June, when the division’s product director also left. The pattern suggests broader instability as XPeng pushes toward a critical milestone.

He Xiaopeng announced on June 10 that he would personally take over the robotics center, and later added the product division to his portfolio. In an internal memo, he described the robotics business as unusually complex, spanning hardware, AI models, supply chains, precision manufacturing, marketing, and sales. His direct involvement, he said, was meant to send a clear signal that the company is consolidating resources to push the robot project forward.

Timing is tight. XPeng is targeting mass production of its humanoid robot by the fourth quarter of this year. The company broke ground on a dedicated full-chain production base in February at the Embodied Intelligence Industrial Park in Guangzhou’s Tianhe district — the first facility of its kind for humanoid robots, covering everything from components to final assembly. By early June, the first phase had completed foundation work and shifted to above-ground construction.

The shakeup raises questions about whether XPeng can hold to its Q4 timeline without the executive who helped shape the project from the start. He Xiaopeng’s hands-on approach suggests the company isn’t slowing down, but leadership churn at a critical moment is never a good sign in hardware production.