China's XPeng plans to launch its humanoid robot globally next year, people familiar with the matter said, part of efforts to transform into a physical artificial-intelligence company like Tesla and other high-tech carmakers.

Electric-vehicle maker XPeng aims to build monthly production capacity of its IRON robot to more than 1,000 units by the end of this year, ahead of the 2027 global rollout, the people said.

The company plans to deploy IRON as a shopping assistant in its own stores across China in the first quarter of 2027 before expanding the service to overseas outlets later that year, they said.

The move underscores XPeng's push to deploy the AI and autonomous-driving technology it has developed for EVs into humanoid robots, an area where automakers see a growing overlap between AI models, perception systems and motion control.

XPeng unveiled the IRON humanoid robot concept in November last year as part of its broader physical AI strategy. The company is also developing robotaxis and flying cars as it seeks to diversify beyond its core EV business.

The humanoid-robot industry will likely enter a faster phase of commercialization this year as companies compete to scale up deployments, Morgan Stanley analysts wrote in a recent note. The brokerage expects China's humanoid-robot shipments to reach 50,000 units in 2026 and 100,000 units next year.

A successful push into new areas would bode well for XPeng's earnings as China's EV industry experiences a slowdown.

The company swung back to a net loss in the first quarter of the year, and posted a revenue drop of 18% as lower vehicle sales weighed.