Gasgoo Munich- BYD recently disclosed that it is set to unveil its first humanoid robot in early August at the Zhengzhou Di Space.
The venue had already teased the news on July 25 with a poster reading, "Early August, a new friend wants to meet you," featuring a humanoid robot silhouette emerging from a high-tech halo.
With this official confirmation, the long-rumored project is finally stepping into the physical realm — a pivotal move toward commercialization.
Image Source: BYD Di Space | Zhengzhou
BYD Humanoid Robot "On Duty" in August
For the global NEV leader, this isn't a sudden pivot but a calculated extension of technology years in the making.
The company established an embodied intelligence research team back in 2022, leveraging its massive manufacturing and retail needs to develop customized robot bodies and systems across the full spectrum.
By late 2024, the company's official recruitment channel was advertising for roles like senior algorithm, structure, simulation, and hardware engineers — a clear signal that R&D was shifting into high gear.
BYD also revealed that the team has already rolled out process robots, intelligent collaborative robots, autonomous mobile robots, and humanoid-like prototypes.
In May, Stella Li, BYD's executive vice president, publicly confirmed the development, highlighting a key advantage: the AI, motor, battery, and control technologies refined for cars are directly transferable to robots, significantly slashing R&D and manufacturing costs.
Li outlined a concrete deployment plan: every offline showroom will eventually host 2 or 3 humanoid robots to handle greetings, explain features, and demonstrate in-car functions — even performing live vehicle operation demos. She expects these consumer-facing service robots to be ready for mass rollout within one to two years.
The upcoming debut in Zhengzhou serves as the first real-world test of that vision.
Judging by the official details, the model set to appear is likely positioned as a commercial service robot for showrooms, prioritizing technical verification and public interaction.
Notably, the company has moved to quash online rumors, dismissing claims about code names like "Yao Shun Yu," a "seventh-generation prototype," or the deployment of 20,000 units this year as inconsistent with actual progress.
Auto Supply Chain Collectively Bets on Humanoid Robots
BYD's move from cars to robots is far from an isolated case; it is a microcosm of the broader auto industry's expansion into embodied intelligence.
Gasgoo Automotive Research Institute predicts the sector is rapidly shifting from technical validation to commercial pilots, with global shipments potentially hitting 100,000 units by 2026 — marking the start of a critical window for large-scale deployment.
Against this promising backdrop, automakers are emerging as the driving force in the humanoid robot race.
Beyond BYD, Tesla, Xiaomi, XPENG, FAW, Chery, Dongfeng, Changan, and GAC have all initiated similar strategies, leveraging their expertise in perception, decision-making, and control — along with mass manufacturing capabilities — to fast-track their entry into embodied intelligence.
Image Source: Xiaomi Tech
Xiaomi has made particularly notable strides in industrialization. Earlier this year, its humanoid robots began working on the floor at the Xiaomi EV factory. After just one quarter of iteration, the success rate for bilateral operations at a self-tapping nut loading station hit 98% — just one percentage point shy of the human pass rate. Success rates for sorting console side covers and folding bins in the general assembly logistics area also reached 90%, validating the practicality of humanoids in auto manufacturing.
Tesla, meanwhile, is aggressively building capacity. The company has already converted its Model S/X production line at the Fremont factory into a dedicated Optimus line with a planned annual capacity of 10,000 units, aiming to start production later this year. A second robot line is also in the works at the Texas Gigafactory, designed for 1 million units annually with production slated to begin next summer.
The first batch of Optimus units will be deployed to the "Optimus Academy" to gather training data and refine algorithms, laying the groundwork for mass commercial deployment.
As automakers lead the charge, upstream suppliers are simultaneously entering the fray, providing the backbone for the industry's growth.
Given the high technological overlap between smart vehicles and robots in perception, actuation, and computing, automotive Tier 1 suppliers like Joyson Electronics, RoboSense, Hesai Technology, and Black Sesame Technologies are transferring their automotive-grade expertise to robotics, rolling out tailored solutions for embodied intelligence.
At the recently concluded 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference, Joyson Electronics unveiled a full-stack embodied intelligence solution featuring its "Lingxi" dexterous hand, solid-liquid hybrid batteries, a third-generation AI head module, electronic skin, and an embodied agent brain, alongside demonstrations of industrial training and applications.
Image Source: Joyson Electronics
Joyson Electronics' proprietary "Lingxi" hand employs a unique "integrated palm + hybrid drive" architecture, combining direct drive, tendon, and linkage mechanisms within the palm to achieve 20 degrees of freedom while balancing flexibility and load. The company's robot controllers are already shipping in volume to leading robotics firms.
RoboSense has already achieved large-scale shipments in the robotics sector. In the first half of the year, sales of its LiDAR units for robots surged 510% year-on-year to 282,600. The company has partnered with over 3,400 robotics firms, including nearly 50 top humanoid and quadruped manufacturers like Unitree, AgiBot, and DOBOT, cementing its status as a core supplier for robotic perception.
It is worth noting that the auto industry's contribution to embodied intelligence extends beyond technology supply.
Automotive factories are themselves prime deployment sites, particularly for repetitive tasks like material handling, sorting, inspection, loading, and flexible assembly. These scenarios are widely expected to be the first to see large-scale adoption of humanoid robots.
Consequently, automotive suppliers will wear multiple hats in the embodied intelligence ecosystem: as providers of core components and solutions, but also as customers and data generators. This dual role creates a virtuous cycle — "tech output, scenario deployment, data feedback, algorithm iteration" — accelerating the industry's maturation.
Gasgoo Automotive Research Institute believes that as auto competition intensifies and the industry pivots fully toward AI-driven transformation, embodied intelligence is poised to become a second growth curve for both automakers and suppliers. Moreover, the collective entry of the automotive supply chain will provide the critical momentum needed to drive down costs and enable large-scale deployment of humanoid robots.
