XPeng CEO Says ‘The Robot That Mastered The Catwalk’ Was Built By China After Musk Flaunts Tesla’s Optimus

• XPeng unveiled its Iron humanoid robot at the 2025 AI Day with lifelike movement and in-house Turing AI chips.
• Musk called Tesla’s Optimus the company’s “biggest product of all time,” predicting tens of billions of units.
• Retail sentiment on Stocktwits was ‘bullish’ for Tesla and ‘extremely bullish’ for XPeng.

A new front opened in the Tesla–XPeng tech rivalry after XPeng CEO He Xiaopeng said that “the robot that mastered the catwalk is built by a Chinese startup,” shortly after Elon Musk shared a video of Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot alongside another robot that appeared visually similar to XPeng’s recently unveiled Iron model.

XPeng CEO’s Post Follows Musk’s Optimus Video

In a post on X, He wrote, “Let this stand as the final proof: the robot that mastered the catwalk is built by a Chinese startup. The journey continues, and we will advance, step by step.” The message appeared minutes after Musk shared a clip showing Tesla’s Optimus robot alongside another resembling XPeng’s humanoid demonstration.

At the 2025 XPeng AI Day, the company unveiled its next-generation Iron humanoid robot, showcasing natural and fluid “catwalk” movements and realistic posture. The robot features a humanoid spine, bionic muscles, flexible skin, a 3D curved display on its head, and hands with 22 degrees of freedom.

Powered by XPeng’s second-generation VLA (Vision-Language-Action) model and three in-house Turing AI chips delivering 2,250 TOPS of computing power, Iron can perform advanced tasks such as conversation, walking, and interactive motion. The robot uses all-solid-state batteries for lightweight design, energy density, and improved safety, and will initially target commercial service applications.

Musk Describes Optimus As Tesla’s Next Major Product

At Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting, Musk said Optimus robots were already operating autonomously in company offices, “walking around 24/7 with no one minding them” before returning to charge themselves.

Musk called Optimus “the biggest product of all time,” predicting it could one day outscale cell phones and reach “tens of billions” of units. He said the humanoid could help eliminate poverty and eventually surpass the precision of the best human surgeons.

Robotics Race Heats Up Between China And US EV Makers

The timing of Musk’s post and He’s response underscored the growing rivalry between leading EV makers as they extend beyond vehicles into humanoid robotics and AI.

Tesla is targeting full regulatory approval for its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system in China by early 2026 while advancing programs such as Optimus and Cybercab. XPeng, backed by Alibaba, continues to invest heavily in robotics and autonomous driving technologies, positioning itself as a key player in China’s emerging AI-driven manufacturing landscape.

Stocktwits Traders Highlight XPeng’s Momentum 

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment was ‘bullish’ for Tesla and ‘extremely bullish’ for XPeng , with message volumes ‘high’ and ‘extremely high’ respectively.

One user said that Tesla’s trillion-dollar pay package came as XPeng was already “blowing Tesla out of the robot race.” 

Another user noted that XPeng was making rapid progress in robotics, gaining international market share, enjoying government support, and trending on China’s TikTok, calling it an appealing contrarian play against Tesla.

So far this year, Tesla is up 10%, while U.S.-listed shares of XPeng have more than doubled in value.

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.

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