Chinese EV makers accelerate robotics drive for 'game-changing' edge over US

Chinese electrical conveyance (EV) makers from Xpeng to Chery Automobile, leveraging their technological and manufacturing strength, are intensifying efforts to physique humanoid robots arsenic they presumption themselves arsenic imaginable game-changers amid Beijing's ambitions to summation an precocious manus implicit the US successful the hi-tech sector.

Guangzhou-based Xpeng said it envisioned income of 1 cardinal units by 2030 aft its next-generation humanoid robot Iron won praise from Tesla CEO Elon Musk aboriginal this month.

He Xiaopeng, co-founder and CEO of Xpeng, told an net results briefing connected Monday that the outgo of producing humanoid robots would yet travel down to the level of gathering cars, paving the mode for their usage by households successful the adjacent future.

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"I anticipation Iron [robots] volition go a caller subordinate successful Xpeng's stores, bureau parks and factories by the extremity of adjacent year," He said. "I judge the marketplace imaginable for robots is greater than that for cars."

He Xiaopeng says the outgo of producing humanoid robots volition yet travel down to the level of gathering cars. Photo: AFP alt=He Xiaopeng says the outgo of producing humanoid robots volition yet travel down to the level of gathering cars. Photo: AFP>

His upbeat forecast came conscionable 10 days aft Musk endorsed Iron connected societal media, portion predicting Chinese companies would predominate the planetary robotics marketplace alongside Tesla.

Iron, present successful its seventh generation, is powered by Xpeng's Vision-Language-Action 2.0 AI model, which relies chiefly connected ocular information for grooming and decision-making. The artificial quality exemplary allows the robot to construe its situation straight alternatively than translating images into connection first, improving ratio and reducing accusation loss.

Mass accumulation of Xpeng's humanoid robots would commencement astatine the extremity of 2026, He said.

State-owned Chery, based successful eastbound China's Anhui province, has besides joined the race. Since aboriginal 2024, it has been collaborating with AI institution Aimoga to make Mornine, a humanoid robot designed to recognize quality connection and construe enactment intentions.

Shanghai-headquartered Nio, an assembler of astute EVs, is besides exploring robotics, with plans to make a robotic dog.

BYD, China's EV king, Gac Group and Seres are besides among the country's starring carmakers venturing into robotics, buoyed by the content that AI technologies employed to physique autonomous vehicles could play a relation successful bridging the spread betwixt humans and machines.