Lang Xianpeng, Senior Vice President at Li Auto and the former head of its autonomous driving division and humanoid robot R&D, has reportedly departed from the company. His duties within the robotics sector have been reshuffled, with Zhan Yifei now taking full command of R&D and product development efforts, reporting directly to President Ma Donghui. Lang, who joined Li Auto in 2018, played a pivotal role in establishing the company’s in-house intelligent driving system. Li Auto CEO Li Xiang has indicated that 2026 will mark a critical juncture for leading AI firms to integrate their technologies into vehicles, with L4 autonomous driving expected to materialize by 2028 at the latest. Li Auto is striving to position itself as a global frontrunner with a diversified business portfolio, solidifying its stance in embodied AI and planning to roll out humanoid robots in tandem with its automotive operations at the earliest opportunity. Earlier reports had suggested that Lang would oversee robot R&D; however, his departure has now been confirmed, though his Weibo profile still identifies him as the head of humanoid robots.