Chinese Autos: Why Automakers are entering Humanoid Robotics – and their competitive edge

Research evidence excerpt

Chinese Autos: Why Automakers are entering Humanoid Robotics – and their competitive edge

22 June 2026

Asian Autos

Chinese Autos: Why Automakers are entering Humanoid

Robotics — and their competitive edge

From Tesla and Hyundai, to XPeng and Xiaomi, an increasing number of automotive OEMs Eunice Lee, CFA

+852 2123 2606 are entering the humanoid robotics space. In this report, we explore the strategic rationale,

eunice.lee@bernsteinsg.com assess their competitive advantages, and highlight key investment implications.

Jay Huang, Ph.D. Auto OEMs’ push into humanoid robotics is recent but accelerating. Auto OEMs

+852 2123 2631 began moving into humanoid robotics from 2020. Hyundai announced its acquisition of

jay.huang@bernsteinsg.com

80% stake in Boston Dynamics in Dec 2020. Tesla then unveiled its “Tesla Bot” concept

in August 2021. Since then, a growing number of Chinese OEMs have entered the field Dien Wang, Ph.D.

+852 2123 2622 through: in-house development (e.g. XPeng and Xiaomi), subsidiary stakes (e.g. BYD’s

dien.wang@bernsteinsg.com investments in PaXini and Zhiyuan), and strategic partnerships (e.g. Geely with UBTech). At

the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, multiple OEMs (e.g. XPeng, Chery, BYD, etc.) showcased their

Ethan Xu humanoids, highlighting growing momentum in their broader tech strategies. +852 2123 2634

ethan.xu@bernsteinsg.com

OEMs are entering humanoid robotics to boost productivity and unlock new revenue

Weibin Liang, Ph.D. streams. Humanoids can further increase factory automation and drive structural cost

+852 2123 2666 reductions amid rising labor costs and workforce constraints. Applications may expand to

weibin.liang@bernsteinsg.com

consumer and service use cases (e.g., security, retail, home assistance), with some OEMs