The buzz surrounding humanoid robots isn’t fresh; it’s been fueled by Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s Optimus robot and countless Boston Dynamics Atlas videos.
Beneath the hype, tangible advances are emerging. Robot hardware keeps improving, and experts now think that AI methods derived from large language models could enable sophisticated robots to learn virtually any task.
These trends have spurred a wave of companies to pursue humanoid‑robot profits, with many newcomers coming from China’s automotive sector.
Earlier this week, Xpeng’s robotics division secured over $900 million in funding, valuing the unit at more than $6.3 billion post‑money. Led by IDG Capital and joined by Gaorong Ventures, Tencent, and Alibaba, the round was touted by Xpeng as the biggest single‑round private investment ever seen in China’s embodied‑AI sector—AI integrated directly into hardware.
This month, Chery’s robotics arm AiMOGA is said to be laying the groundwork for an IPO, and BYD revealed its humanoid robot Xiao Di. Meanwhile, other Chinese automakers—Changan, GAC, Li Auto, SAIC, and Seres—are also working on humanoid robots.
Among these players, Xpeng most closely mirrors Tesla’s moves, says Michael Dunne, CEO of the San Diego‑ and Singapore‑based consultancy Dunne Insights.
“It’s the most autonomy‑focused and the first to make a major commitment to humanoid robots,” Dunne told TechCrunch, noting that Xpeng founder He Xiaopeng—a tech billionaire praised for his agility and rapid decision‑making—believes car margins will stay thin in the near term, while robots offer far greater promise.
He Xiaopeng and Xpeng co‑president Brian Gu are so confident in the robotics unit that they each contributed personal capital; the Wall Street Journal reports the duo invested roughly $100 million in the latest funding round.
Xpeng’s flagship robot, Iron, is a humanoid with a lifelike form designed for commercial rollout.
Chinese automakers such as Xpeng bring a strong manufacturing advantage.
“They possess all the hardware needed to succeed,” Dunne said. “The real question is whether they can match Tesla’s AI capabilities.”
Of course, Xpeng isn’t alone; firms such as Agility Robotics, Apptronik, and Figure are also pursuing large‑scale commercial deployment of humanoid robots.
Hyundai‑owned Boston Dynamics is advancing toward that target. The automaker intends to bring its Atlas humanoid to a Georgia plant this year and, by 2028, deploy the robots for tasks such as parts sequencing. Hyundai, which teamed up with Google’s DeepMind to accelerate Atlas development, is also launching a U.S. facility this year dubbed the Robot Metaplant Application Center, where robots will learn to map motions like lifts and turns.
Other automotive players are entering the fray as well. Supplier Mobileye snapped up humanoid‑robot startup Mentee Robotics earlier this year for $900 million, and Rivian is experimenting with robots through its Mind Robotics spinout—though its creations are not expected to resemble the humanoid designs being pursued elsewhere.
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