Chinese automakers are following Tesla’s bet that robots are the next big profit machine

Chinese automakers invest heavily in humanoid robots: Xpeng raised $900 million at a $6.3 billion valuation, with co-founder He Xiaopeng contributing $100 million. Xpeng’s “Iron” robot seeks commercial use; Chery’s AiMOGA plans an IPO. BYD launched Xiao Di. Changan, GAC, Li Auto, SAIC, and Seres also develop humanoids. Hyundai-owned Boston Dynamics targets factory deployment of Atlas by 2028, and Mobileye bought Mentee Robotics for $900 million.