XPeng

Autonomous Driving · Automotive · Robotaxi

Launch

XPeng names robotaxi YOYO, opens invite-only rides in Guangzhou

Betting on cameras alone instead of lidar or HD maps, XPeng is racing to prove self-driving taxis can turn a profit before rivals do.

• XPeng officially branded its robotaxi business "XPENG YOYO" on October 8, 2026, and opened invitation-only ride bookings to the public in Guangzhou via a WeChat mini-program.
• XPeng is a Chinese EV maker building the robotaxi on its flagship GX SUV platform, positioning YOYO as China's first fully in-house-developed robotaxi to reach pre-loaded mass production.
• The vehicle runs four in-house Turing AI chips delivering 3,000 TOPS of compute and XPeng's second-generation Vision-Language-Action (VLA 2.0) model, relying on cameras rather than lidar or HD maps for Level 4 autonomy.
• Staff have already logged more than 2,200 internal test rides in Guangzhou, up from an earlier 1-yuan paid pilot used to validate the payment and service workflow.
• The launch caps an 11-month sprint: XPeng unveiled the robotaxi plan in November 2025, began road testing in January 2026, rolled the first mass-produced unit off the line in May, and completed end-to-end booking-to-dropoff service in July.
• XPeng says invited rides are meant to build real-user operating experience ahead of a planned next stage of demonstration operations in Guangzhou, with driverless service targeted for 2027.
• By building its own chips, software, and vehicles rather than retrofitting third-party cars, XPeng is testing whether a vertically integrated automaker can out-execute dedicated robotaxi operators on cost and speed to commercialization.