BYD, China's No. 1 electric vehicle maker, will unveil its first humanoid (human-shaped robot) next month. As Chinese automakers nurture humanoids as a future growth engine following electric vehicles and Autonomous Driving, the auto industry's arena of competition is expanding into the robot market.
On the 29th, BYD said it will unveil its humanoid in August. It will make its debut at BYD's brand experience center Dispace in Zhengzhou, Henan province, where a teaser poster reading "A new friend will come to meet you in early August" was previously released.
According to Chinese business outlet Cailian She, BYD plans to first deploy the humanoid at car sales sites. Li Ke, BYD vice president, earlier said, "The goal is to place two to three robots in each dealer store," adding, "They will handle customer service, vehicle introductions, and feature demonstrations." Li also projected that commercialization of sales-support robots could be possible within one to two years.
With BYD, China's largest electric vehicle maker, also jumping into humanoid development, competition among Chinese EV makers over humanoids is intensifying. Xpeng, which aims to be the "Tesla of China," has begun small-batch test production of its humanoid IRON at its Guangzhou plant and is wrapping up construction of its mass-production line. The company plans to begin full-scale mass production within this year and launch in the global market in 2027. Like BYD, it will first be deployed in service roles such as store guidance and product explanations.
In addition, EV brands SERES and Chery Automobile Co., as well as state-owned FAW Group, are pushing humanoid businesses aimed at industrial testing, sales support, and various service fields, and some have already unveiled products or begun real-world applications.
Automakers are moving into the humanoid business one after another because EVs and robots share many core technologies. They can apply AI models, sensors, control software, electric drive systems, and battery technologies to robots by leveraging existing automotive development capabilities and supply chains.
The Chinese government is also ramping up support. Through the "2026 Humanoid Robot and Embodied Intelligence Demonstration Project" released in June, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology set a goal to operate humanoid robots on a regular basis at representative industrial sites by the end of next year and to build more than 100 use-case scenarios. According to authorities, in the first half of this year, China's output of industrial robots rose 28% from a year earlier, and service robots increased 11.9%. China currently accounts for about 70% of global sales of quadruped robots, and finished goods of humanoids also hold more than half of the world market.
Wanlian Securities said in a report that "the humanoid robot industry is in a critical transition from the technology development stage to the stage of large-scale commercialization, and 2026 is likely to be a watershed for mass production and real-world applications."