Cross-industry investment, swapping birds in cages, automotive companies accelerate their layout in the robotics track

At the beginning of 2026, major automotive companies both domestically and internationally, including Tesla, Chery Automobile, Hyundai, Xpeng Motors, and Seres, coincidentally stepped into the robotics track. Tesla even halted production of several of its best-selling models, transforming its automotive production lines into lines for manufacturing robots.

Recently, Shanghai Securities News learned through interviews that cross-industry ventures into embodied intelligence are no longer considered “unrelated pursuits.” After undergoing a new energy transformation, leading global automotive companies are surpassing traditional automotive definitions through intelligent transformation. Car manufacturers and related auto parts companies aim to redefine their value by developing embodied intelligence businesses. A deep integration of “cars, people, and machines” is driving ongoing evolution in the automotive industry chain.

Rapid Progress Among Domestic Automakers

“Hello everyone, I am Chery’s Mogu Robot, sending New Year greetings to my fellow townspeople!”

During the rehearsal of the 2026 Wuhu Spring Festival Gala, a special “host” appeared—the “Wuyou” Smart Police R001 from Chery’s Mogu Robot series. It will serve as one of the hosts for the event, collaborating with actors to perform the skit “With You, It’s Really Good,” and may become the first humanoid robot from a domestic automaker to appear on the Spring Festival Gala stage and participate fully in a skit.

The “Wuyou” Smart Police R001 has become familiar to many Wuhu residents. On January 10, 2026, it officially took office at an intersection in Wuhu, marking an important milestone in the implementation of Wuhu’s “Smart Policing.” A Chery official explained that after integrating with traffic signal systems, the “Wuyou” R001 works in coordination with traffic police, capable of replicating hand signals to guide vehicles orderly, and automatically recognizing traffic violations by non-motorized vehicles. In production, Chery’s robots and vehicles share resources, with multiple supply chain companies providing parts for both Chery’s cars and robots.

According to business registration information from Tianyancha, Zhiyuan Robot, Bethel, and others recently invested in the newly established Mogu Robot under Chery. Embodied intelligence is seen within the industry as a new growth curve for Chery. “By 2026, Chery will further expand into frontier fields such as humanoid robots,” said Yin Tongyao, Chairman of Chery. He noted that Chery Mogu Robot, as the first humanoid robot globally to pass both EU software and hardware certifications, has entered over 30 countries and regions, covering more than 100 scenarios including factory inspections, showroom services, and home companionship. “Looking ahead, on one hand, Chery will learn from Toyota to hone its fundamentals and pursue top quality and lean manufacturing; on the other hand, it will learn from Tesla to pursue disruptive innovation, fully embrace AI, and develop new tracks like humanoid robots,” Yin said.

Seres, which achieved significant growth in new energy vehicle sales through cooperation with Huawei’s Wenjie brand, is also actively developing embodied intelligence. Recently, Seres officially registered Shanghai Seres Phoenix Technology Co., Ltd. in the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone Lingang New Area, with a registered capital of 50 million yuan. The new company is wholly owned by Seres’ Chongqing Phoenix Technology Co., Ltd., focusing on cutting-edge fields such as intelligent robot R&D, foundational AI software development, AI theory and algorithms, and new energy vehicle electrical accessories.

A Seres official explained that its subsidiary Chongqing Phoenix Technology signed a “Framework Cooperation Agreement on Embodied Intelligence Business” with Beijing Volcano Engine Technology Co., Ltd. in Q4 2025. According to the agreement, Seres Phoenix and Volcano Engine will collaborate on the project “Multimodal Cloud-Edge Collaborative Intelligent Robot Decision-Making, Control, and Human-Machine Enhancement Technologies,” building a closed-loop mechanism from “technology R&D to scenario verification” to establish a solid technological foundation and cooperation basis.

Industry experts believe that Seres is likely to develop a “dual-engine” growth strategy: on one side, strengthening cooperation with Huawei through the Wenjie brand to maintain cash flow and profits; on the other, collaborating with “Phoenix” and ByteDance’s Volcano Engine to explore new growth opportunities in embodied intelligence.

International Automakers Also Accelerate Deployment

“Model S/X now available in new stock, the last chance to get in,” Tesla China recently announced.

In response, a Tesla China representative explained that the third-generation humanoid robot will debut in 2026, with an expected annual production of one million units. Meanwhile, the Model S/X production line at Tesla’s Fremont factory in the U.S. will be converted into a humanoid robot production line, with mass production expected to start by the end of 2026, and an ultimate planned annual capacity of 1 million units.

Tesla Vice President Tao Lin introduced that the third-generation Tesla robot has significant improvements over the second generation, especially in dexterity of the hands. Tesla’s humanoid robot is a general-purpose robot that can adapt to factory or home scenarios through different training.

Tao Lin believes that the robotics industry is still in its early stages. The pace of mass production depends on the maturity of key hardware, particularly dexterous hands and other core capabilities. Currently, the robot supply chain is in a “new build” phase because many precision components are not yet available on the market, requiring Tesla to develop them from scratch. As mass production stabilizes, Tesla will gradually establish a global supply system. “When choosing the robot supply chain, Tesla’s most important considerations are quality, cost, and stability,” Tao said.

Industry experts note that although new energy vehicle sales remain Tesla’s main revenue source, CEO Elon Musk has consistently expressed a desire for the company to break out of the traditional automotive narrative. Tesla currently produces only four main passenger car models: Model 3, Y, S, and X. The company has halted two of its best-selling models and allocated capacity to its robot business, demonstrating Musk’s focus on resource concentration in the Tesla robotics track.

Hyundai Motor Group is also accelerating the effective application of robots. Starting in 2026, Hyundai plans to deploy humanoid robots in U.S. factories to perform various tasks, aiming to significantly reduce manufacturing costs. Due to U.S. tariff policies, Hyundai’s profitability in North America has declined. While expanding local production, Hyundai plans to deploy over 30,000 robots on its production lines in the future to enhance market competitiveness.

At the same time, Hyundai is actively introducing the “Atlas” robot, a humanoid robot capable of autonomous movement using “physical AI.” “Atlas,” developed by Boston Dynamics, which Hyundai acquired in 2021, will begin gradually entering Hyundai’s factories starting September 2026. By 2028, the annual production of “Atlas” is expected to reach 30,000 units.

Upstream Industry Chain Companies Actively Respond

The trend of cross-industry robot manufacturing is spreading from vehicle manufacturers to upstream component suppliers, including Top Group, Ningbo Huaxiang, Bethel, Qunsheng Electronics, Jingu Shares, Zhongding Shares, and Minth Group, all actively expanding into embodied intelligence businesses.

On February 10, AgileLink announced the completion of a new round of financing amounting to hundreds of millions of yuan, with industry investors including automotive parts company Qunsheng Electronics. Public information shows that AgileLink was formerly the Agile Hands division of Zhiyuan Robot, having completed three rounds of financing, with its legal representative Deng Taihua serving as chairman and CEO.

A Qunsheng Electronics official stated that embodied intelligence will become the company’s second growth curve. Currently, Qunsheng Electronics has launched series products including robot head assemblies, chest and chassis assemblies, sensor kits, energy management, and lightweight exoskeletons, completing the core component layout for embodied intelligent robots. In industrial scenarios, humanoid robots have been trained in Qunsheng Electronics’ Ningbo factory.

CATL is also deploying related intelligent robotics businesses. On February 9, Horizon Robotics and CATL’s subsidiary Times Intelligent signed a strategic cooperation agreement. The two sides will focus on the intelligent upgrade needs of new energy vehicles, aiming to provide a “highly intelligent, highly safe” smart mobility experience for global automakers and end users.

Additionally, the world’s first large-scale production line for humanoid embodied intelligent robots in new energy power battery PACKs has recently been put into operation at CATL’s Zhongzhou base. Named “Xiaomo,” this humanoid robot can accurately perform the final functional tests of high-voltage risk before battery pack offline. A CATL official stated that “Xiaomo” has provided key empirical evidence for humanoid robots transitioning from laboratory experiments to real, complex industrial production lines.