(Yicai) April 17 -- Xpeng Motors expects half of its sales to come from international markets within the next 10 years, as the company pushes ahead with an ambitious global expansion plan, said the chairman and chief executive officer of the Chinese new energy vehicle maker.

Around 50 percent of Xpeng’s sales will be in foreign countries by 2035, up from 10 percent last year, He Xiaoping said at a global media conference yesterday.

“Xpeng plans to expand into 60 countries this year, double the number from last year,” said co-president Gu Hongdi. “Our main focus is on four key regions, namely Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. Of these, we plan to invest more resources in around 10 to 12 priority markets, including making efforts to localize our products.”

“Xpeng prefers to position itself as a mid-to-high-end brand in global markets,” He said. “Instead of sticking to a traditional import and export model, the company wants to offer research & development, manufacturing and localized services in different regions. The priority right now is to build strong local service networks that include maintenance, charging and over-the-air updates. We plan to accelerate our overseas expansion this year and next.”

Xpeng will not be affected by the US’ recent tariff hikes on imported cars as it does not sell to the US, Gu said. Xpeng views Europe as the most important EV market outside of China. The Guangzhou-based company is exploring investment opportunities in the region, such as by setting up factories that will produce certain parts of the supply chain. Several new Xpeng models are expected to launch in Europe in the next three years.

Xpeng’s approach differs depending on local market conditions, and the required capacity and capabilities, Gu said. In Germany and northern France, for instance, Xpeng works with local agents and also has its own sales teams. However, in Spain, Portugal and Italy, the firm has teamed up with partners to ensure import and market compliance. Yet the vehicles that it is selling in these countries are the same.

In addition to the European market, Xpeng is planning to build its first overseas assembly line in Indonesia, which will be the company’s first move to shift production abroad.

Looking Ahead

In the next 10 years, only five to seven new energy vehicle manufacturers are likely to survive, He said. Xpeng Motors plans to roll out L3 autonomous driving tech in China towards the end of this year and will pour CNY4.5 billion (USD616 million) into AI this year.

Xpeng will be developing flying cars and humanoid robots in 10 years' time, drawing from its two main strengths of electric cars and AI, he said.

With regard to flying cars, Xpeng AeroHT’s “Land Aircraft Carrier” is expected to gain the Type Certificate by the end of this year, and deliveries to the mainland and other countries should start next year. The factory is already under construction and will be able to produce up to 10,000 roadable aircraft each year.

Building AI robots is more difficult than making AI cars, He said. It takes a R&D investment of at least CNY50 billion (USD6.8 billion) just to get started. Xpeng’s humanoid robot, named IRON, is currently being tested on a small scale in an industrial setting, and the company hopes to start mass production in 2026.

Editor: Kim Taylor