In a recent program named "Beacon over Lingnan", He Xiaopeng, chairman and CEO of XPeng, a leading automaker headquartered in Tianhe district, Guangzhou, said the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area boasts favorable conditions for entrepreneurship.

He Xiaopeng, chairman and CEO of XPeng, in the "Beacon over Lingnan" series program. [Photo/WeChat account: tianhefabu]

Having launched all his entrepreneurial undertakings in Guangdong, He has spearheaded projects from large-scale software to AI-powered vehicles. He emphasized the region's vast population, robust manufacturing supply chains, and rich talent pool as key factors for successful ventures.

He revealed that XPeng Motors and XPeng AeroHT jointly poured around 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) into R&D in 2025, while their 2026 R&D budget is set to hit nearly 15 billion yuan, accounting for 13 to 14 percent of the group’s overall revenue.

He underscored the importance of sustained, planned, and forward-thinking research to drive significant innovations. XPeng is dedicated to full-stack autonomous development in intelligent driving, covering chips, neural networks, and operating systems.

He envisions all cars achieving full autonomous driving, with L4 capabilities becoming a reality within two years.

He also sees AI evolving into a basic infrastructure akin to water or electricity, saying XPeng aims to be a global physical-AI enterprise, integrating AI with smart electric vehicles, flying cars, humanoid robots and AI chips.

He forecast that flying vehicles could enter daily life in five to ten years, with the Greater Bay Area serving as an ideal hub for low-altitude economic growth.

XPeng, a leading automaker headquartered in Tianhe. [Photo/WeChat account: tianhefabu]