- The vision for AI is reshaping automotive companies' organizational structures, with Xpeng being the latest example.
- Xpeng has merged its autonomous driving center and intelligent cockpit center into a unified general intelligence center, led by AI expert Liu Xianming.
Xpeng (NYSE: XPEV, HKG: 9868) has elevated AI expert Liu Xianming to a larger role and restructured its organization to increase its AI focus.
The Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker recently merged two top-tier departments — the autonomous driving center and the intelligent cockpit center — into a unified general intelligence center, according to a Tuesday report by local media outlet LatePost.
The new department is led by Liu Xianming, formerly head of autonomous driving, reporting directly to Xpeng chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng.
The report noted that ambitions for AI are reshaping how automakers organize, with Xpeng — positioned as a "global embodied intelligence company" — being the latest example.
Liu earned his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2016 and joined Xpeng in March 2024 as head of its AI team.
He previously worked at Meta and Cruise, General Motors' autonomous driving subsidiary, conducting research in machine learning and computer vision.
In October 2025, Liu replaced Li Liyun as head of Xpeng's autonomous driving center.
Xpeng's newly established general intelligence center is a comprehensive AI organization for automobiles and robotics. It will establish secondary units focused on foundational models, infrastructure platforms, platform-based delivery, and product/project quality, LatePost said, citing sources.
The new department's AI technology middle platform will support application layers including smart driving, smart cockpits, and robotics, the report said.
Prior to this restructuring, Wei Bin, former head of the intelligent cockpit center, had been on leave for some time. Before joining Xpeng, Wei served as product director at Gaode Map.
The merger of these two primary departments will centralize Xpeng's AI resources, with a unified AI middle platform technology foundation supporting autonomous driving, intelligent cockpits, robotics, and other business lines, the report noted.
With this restructuring, Xpeng has established a new team system centered on AI+ software as its core capability, the report said.
