Robotics BYD is Now Also Developing Humanoid Robots

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BYD is an automotive and electronics conglomerate. Now, the Chinese automaker is also working on humanoid robots. Technologically, the automotive and robotics industries overlap—and the latter has become a new growth market, according to a top executive.

The BYD Group wants to capitalize on the global robotics boom. This was revealed by one of the company’s top executives. “BYD is also developing humanoid robots,” said Li Ke in an interview published by the Chinese business portal Diyi Caijing. She is Executive Vice President at BYD.

At BYD, they believe that both cars and bipedal robots are forms of embodied artificial intelligence. Furthermore, there is significant overlap in the technology stacks of automakers and robotics companies. The supplier Mobileye made a similar argument when it acquired Mentee.

Robotics And Automotive Engineering Are Converging

“Competition in robotics will ultimately determine who has the strongest manufacturing, software, and hardware capabilities,” said Li Ke. The AI developed for the automotive industry shares the same technological roots as robotics.

Apparently, BYD is not yet satisfied with the humanoid robots currently available for its car and battery factories. According to the Chinese tech portal 36Kr, Li Ke said that Chinese robots have “no brain,” while American ones have a “well-developed brain but underdeveloped limbs.”

BYD aims to build “truly useful robots with well-developed brains and well-developed limbs.” If such a robot were to hit the market, the company would also be its own biggest customer.

BYD Has Been Developing Its Own Robots for Years

For several years now, there have been recurring reports of BYD developing its own robotics technology. The Chinese industry portal Dianche Tong wrote about a program codenamed “Yao, Shun, and Yu,” named after three legendary emperors of ancient China. It is said to have already been launched in 2022.

Since last year, BYD has been posting job listings seeking employees to conduct research on embodied intelligence, with a focus on humanoid and bipedal robots. Now, management has commented publicly on these plans for the first time.

The “Technology Pond”

This market entry aligns with BYD’s approach to research and development. Observers refer to this as the “technology pond” principle. The company often begins research long before a market becomes apparent, allowing the results to mature like fish in a pond.

If the need actually arises later on, the technology will be “dusted off” and put to use. For humanoid robots, that time seems to have come.

Automakers Are Embracing Robotics

BYD's entry into the market is the latest example of the convergence of the automotive and robotics industries in China. From the perspective of many developers, a self-driving car and a humanoid robot are two manifestations of the same principle.

“Embedded intelligence has two phases. Autonomous driving is the first; universally applicable humanoid robots are the second,” said Li Xiang, founder of the automaker Li Auto, in a widely discussed podcast recently.

A humanoid robot actually incorporates much of the same technology found in modern vehicles—from sensors, electric actuators, and batteries to computing platforms and AI models. Added to this is the automotive industry’s experience with mass production, supply chain management, and safety-critical systems. “Automotive software is complex, and adapting it for robots is very straightforward for us,” said Li Ke.

Tesla was a pioneer in this development. The Optimus robot is already being produced at the factory in Fremont and has been assembling seats and sorting components at the Tesla plant in Shanghai for several weeks.

Chery, Li Auto, and Xpeng With Their Own Robots

The Chinese electric car startup Xpeng unveiled its first humanoid robot, named Iron, back in 2025 and plans to begin mass production later this year. Initially, it will be deployed in the company’s own showrooms.

Starting next year, humanoid robots are set to become a new source of revenue, company founder He Xiaopeng announced. Chery is also already selling a humanoid robot for approximately 280,000 yuan (about 40,000 U.S. dollars). It can be ordered online.

Robotics As A New Business Area

The automaker Li Auto is developing a bipedal and a two-wheeled robot under the code name “Nexus.” Changan Auto is also working on similar projects. So far, only Nio has remained cautious. Company founder William Li stated in March that his company would prefer to focus on selling more cars for the time being. 

More Than Just A Future Project

For many manufacturers, entering the robotics sector is an attempt to better monetize existing investments in research and development. These companies are already investing heavily in driver-assistance systems, chips, and large AI models. Now they are looking for additional commercialization opportunities as margins in the automotive industry continue to shrink.

Some analysts even view the robotics market as a necessity. “The shakeout in the automotive industry is likely to be extremely severe in the future. Carmakers lacking technological substance or relying on outdated technology will be ruthlessly weeded out by the times,” writes Dianche Tong. For BYD, expanding into new business areas has always been part of its corporate strategy.

Li Ke explained that BYD does not necessarily have to manufacture the humanoids itself. An open platform through which the company could design its own robots or collaborate with partners on their development is also a possibility. However, the executive did not explicitly rule out in-house production.