China's driverless taxi race just took a big step forward. On 8 October 2026, XPENG officially named its robotaxi service XPENG YOYO. It also opened public registration in China through invitation codes. The project is now moving from internal testing into real-world commercial operations.
Built From the Start as a Robotaxi
According to XPENG, YOYO is China's first fully in-house developed robotaxi to reach pre-loaded mass production. This is an important point. The vehicle is not an existing taxi that was converted later. It was built from the start as a robotaxi. It is based on the company's flagship GX SUV.
The Technology Inside
The technology underneath is striking. The car runs on four of XPENG's own Turing AI chips. The company says they deliver 3,000 TOPS of effective computing power.
Its second-generation VLA 2.0 system relies on cameras alone. There is no LiDAR and there are no high-definition maps. The system is designed for Level 4 autonomous driving. That means the system handles the driving task itself, within defined conditions.
Real Rides, Not Just a Concept
This is not just a concept. XPENG says its employees have already completed more than 2,200 trial rides. These rides covered the full journey, from booking to pickup to drop-off.
Riders book through a mini-program. They can even set the cabin temperature and fragrance before the car arrives. Inside, there are zero-gravity seats, massage functions and a rear entertainment screen.
Why YOYO Matters
YOYO matters because it shows how fast China's autonomous vehicle industry is moving. It is going from experiments to everyday services. If vision-only robotaxis prove safe and affordable at scale, the same approach could reshape ride-hailing far beyond China.
Watch the video: A Taxi With NO Driver? China's XPENG YOYO Robotaxi Is Here #Shorts on YouTube. This article is the full written version of the video, in simple English. See all articles on the Blogs page and more videos on the Science & Tech page.