IRON makes an entrance at XPENG’s first robotics supply-chain partner conference. Behind the demonstration is a manufacturing push: XPENG says it has signed supplier agreements and is scheduling production. It targets mass production by year-end, with market launch and deliveries in 2027. The announcement fits a wider story—from Tesla’s reported supplier audits in Ningbo to Apptronik CEO Jeff Cardenas’s warning about gaps in America’s robot-component supply base. Getting humanoids into useful work requires reliable parts, consistent manufacturing and viable costs.