Xpeng has promoted artificial intelligence specialist Liu Xianming to a broader leadership role and restructured its internal organization to deepen its focus on AI, Chinese media reported.
The electric vehicle maker has merged its autonomous driving center and intelligent cockpit center into a newly established general intelligence center, according to a report on Tuesday by LatePost. The new unit is led by Liu, formerly head of autonomous driving, and reports directly to Xpeng chairman and chief executive He Xiaopeng.
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The restructuring reflects how ambitions around artificial intelligence are reshaping automaker organizations, as companies seek to integrate software, data and computing more tightly across vehicle platforms. Xpeng has increasingly positioned itself as a “global embodied intelligence company,” the report said.
Liu joined Xpeng in March 2024 as head of its AI team after earning a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He previously worked at Meta and Cruise, focusing on machine learning and computer vision research. In October 2025, he replaced Li Liyun as head of Xpeng’s autonomous driving center.
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According to LatePost, the new general intelligence center is designed as a comprehensive AI organization spanning automobiles and robotics. It will include sub-units focused on foundational AI models, infrastructure platforms, platform-based delivery and product and project quality. A centralized AI “middle platform” will support application layers such as smart driving, intelligent cockpits and robotics.
Before the merger, Wei Bin, the former head of the intelligent cockpit center, had been on leave for an extended period. Wei previously served as a product director at Gaode Map, the report said.
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By consolidating the two major departments, Xpeng aims to centralize AI resources and establish a unified technology foundation that can be applied across autonomous driving, in-vehicle systems, robotics and other business lines. The move creates a new team structure with AI and software positioned as the company’s core capabilities, LatePost reported.
Last month, speaking at an event in Guangzhou, He said the convergence of automobiles and robotics would define the next phase of technological development. Vehicles and robots share key components such as sensors, chips and computing platforms, he said, allowing automakers to extend their expertise into areas including factory automation and autonomous mobility.