According to GAOC Auto’s latest global market report, the global humanoid robot market is projected to reach $819 million in 2026, a surge of 70.36% year-on-year. The deep involvement of the automotive industry is becoming a key driver in this competition.
Currently, the commercialization of humanoid robots is still in its early stages. Scene performance and scientific research are the main drivers of their shipments, and these two markets are almost entirely dominated by China’s Unitree Robotics and Agibot, forming an unshakeable duopoly. In stark contrast, the much-anticipated factory application is still in a “growing pains” period of product refinement and validation. Industry analysts generally predict that humanoid robots will not see small-scale commercial applications in the industrial sector until 2027.
In this industrial wave, major global automakers are becoming the biggest “payers.” From China’s BYD and Geely, to Germany’s Mercedes-Benz and BMW, and Japan’s Toyota, almost all industry leaders have initiated the introduction and pilot programs of humanoid robots, viewing them as a key breakthrough in addressing rising labor costs and improving production efficiency. “The automation needs of the automotive manufacturing industry are providing the most realistic scenarios and financial support for the technological iteration of humanoid robots,” said an industry consultant.
The rise of Chinese companies is reshaping the global competitive landscape of humanoid robots, with Unitree Robotics being a prime example. In 2024, the company’s revenue structure clearly demonstrated its dual-track strategy: quadruped robots contributed 65% of revenue, humanoid robots accounted for 30%, and the remaining 5% came from the sale of related components and parts. Approximately 80% of its quadruped robots went to the research, education, and consumer markets, while the remaining 20% were applied to industrial fields such as inspection and firefighting, forming a pattern of “paving the way for consumer applications and tackling key industrial challenges.”
2025 marked a pivotal turning point for Unitree Robotics. The company’s data revealed that it produced over 6,500 humanoid robot bodies throughout the year, with actual shipments exceeding 5,500 units, giving it a significant advantage in the global market. More ambitiously, Unitree Robotics has set a target shipment volume of 10,000 to 20,000 units for 2026, with its business covering more than 50% of countries and regions worldwide. Its robots can be found in laboratories in Asia and research institutions in North America.
Order data further confirms Unitree Robotics’ market recognition. In 2025, the company secured nearly US$172 Million in orders, including over US$157 Million in orders for its Unitree series quadruped robots in the power line inspection industry, demonstrating the commercial potential of industrial-grade products. Currently, Unitree Robotics’ quadruped robots cover the consumer, education, and industrial markets. The Go2 model, priced as low as $1,500, significantly lowers the market entry barrier, while the Unitree H1 humanoid robot, priced at approximately $90,000, targets the high-end research and industrial markets, forming a differentiated product matrix.
AGIBOT, on the other hand, is accelerating its growth on a different track. In 2025, the company’s humanoid robot shipments are expected to exceed 5,000 units, with sales revenue exceeding US$158 Million, representing a more than tenfold increase in revenue compared to the previous year—a remarkable growth rate. Its three major series—Expedition, Lingxi, and Elf—have achieved cumulative mass production of 1,742, 1,846, and 1,412 units respectively, forming a diversified product portfolio. More notably, AGIBOT has achieved breakthroughs in core component areas, with multiple dexterous hand models already in mass production and shipping in 2025, achieving quarterly sales of several thousand units. On January 13, 2026, it completed the spin-off of its dexterous hand business, focusing on the specialized development of core technologies.
In terms of international expansion, AGIBOT is actively entering the European market, collaborating with automotive parts supplier Minth Group to develop humanoid robots suitable for factory workshops, and has established a strategic partnership with SIR Spa, a leading Italian industrial systems integrator, leveraging local resources to penetrate the European industrial market. “Chinese companies’ advantage lies in rapid technological iteration and cost control, which allows us to secure a place in global competition,” an AGIBOT executive said in an interview.
Beyond Unitree Robotics and AGIBOT, more Chinese companies are entering the market, creating an industrial cluster effect. Leju Robo delivered 300 humanoid robots in the first quarter of 2025, and its product, jointly developed with Haier Robotics, has entered testing at NIO’s factory. This robot, integrating a “Pangu model + Kuafu humanoid robot + open-source HarmonyOS system,” is considered a significant exploration for industrial application. Meanwhile, Rhino Auto’s R1 RoboZR was successfully deployed on the Leju Robo Kuavo 4 Pro humanoid robot, replacing the original NVIDIA Orin platform controller, marking a breakthrough for Chinese companies in core control systems.
The depth and breadth of industrial cooperation continue to expand. Schaeffler and Leju Robo officially signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Suzhou, making Leju Schaeffler’s first Chinese embodied intelligence partner. The two companies will work together to promote the large-scale application and deployment of humanoid robots. BYD has also reached a deep cooperation with UBTECH Robotics; of the 150 robots deployed by BYD, more than 90 are from UBTECH, highlighting the latter’s recognition in the automotive manufacturing sector.
UBTECH’s rise has been equally rapid. In 2025, the company’s total orders for humanoid robots approached US$20 Million. Its Walker S2 industrial humanoid robot has entered mass production and delivery, with the first batch of hundreds of units deployed in key areas such as automotive manufacturing, intelligent manufacturing, and smart logistics. The Walker S1, deployed at Audi’s FAW production base, successfully performed critical tasks such as air conditioning leak detection, demonstrating the practical value of humanoid robots in industrial scenarios. To date, the Walker S series has entered the production systems of 12 leading companies in the industry, including BYD, Geely, and Foxconn, accumulating over 500 intended orders. Its production capacity is projected to reach tens of thousands of units by 2026.
Galbot, leveraging its extensive partnership network, has captured market share by establishing deep collaborations with leading automotive companies such as Bosch, CATL, Toyota, and BAIC Group. It enables flexible manufacturing powered by embodied intelligent models in scenarios like automated quality inspection, material handling, and workpiece sorting, contributing to improved efficiency and quality in automotive manufacturing.
In the European and American markets, Figure AI is aggressively positioning itself for the future. Company executives state that the humanoid robot industry will undergo large-scale consolidation, ultimately leaving only a few giants. The key to survival lies in mastering four core capabilities: AI models, hardware manufacturing, large-scale mass production, and a closed-loop business model. To achieve this goal, Figure is rapidly expanding its Baku factory, aiming to increase production efficiency to one robot every 30 minutes.
The partnership with BMW marks a significant milestone for Figure’s industrial application. Its humanoid robot, Figure 02, is already in use at BMW’s automotive plants, handling tasks such as interior installation, screw tightening, and glass installation, making it one of the earliest humanoid robot companies in Europe and America to achieve automotive manufacturing application. Data shows that Figure 02 has participated in the production of over 30,000 BMW X3s, completing the assembly of over 90,000 metal parts. Meanwhile, Figure AI is accelerating its supply chain layout, with its newly built BotQ dedicated factory having an annual capacity of 12,000 units, planned to increase to 100,000 units within four years, and a target of 10,000 units by 2026, while also expanding into new industry sectors.
In contrast, Tesla’s humanoid robot plan has encountered setbacks. This once highly anticipated tech giant originally planned to produce 5,000 Optimus robots by 2025, later lowering the target to 2,000, but actual production has only reached a few hundred, far short of expectations. The challenge of dexterous hand technology has become its biggest bottleneck—as a core component for robot interaction with the physical world, the contradiction between the complexity and reliability of the dexterous hand remains a common problem in the global robotics industry. Even with a clear technological roadmap, issues such as heat dissipation, durability, and cost control have not been effectively resolved.
Despite slow progress, Tesla has not given up on its ambitious goals. The company plans to release the Optimus V3 model in the first quarter of 2026, begin mass production within the year, and expect to sell it to the public in 2027. Currently, Tesla has converted its Fremont factory’s Model S/X production line into a dedicated Optimus production line, with a medium-term planned annual capacity of 1 million units. Notably, the production cost of Optimus is expected to be below $25,000 to $30,000, only half the production cost of Tesla vehicles, which may become its core competitive advantage in the future.
Toyota Motors of Japan has chosen to collaborate with specialized companies to accelerate the deployment of humanoid robots. Toyota Motor Canada announced that after a year of pilot testing, it has officially signed a commercial agreement with Agility Robotics to deploy seven Digit humanoid robots at its Cambridge, Ontario factory to perform internal logistics tasks such as tow bin handling, becoming another example of an automaker exploring the application of humanoid robots.
The humanoid robot industry is at the intersection of “wild growth” and “regulated development.” Chinese companies have gained a first-mover advantage due to their supply chain advantages and rapid iteration capabilities, while European and American giants have advantages in technological accumulation and brand influence. In the coming years, with the commercialization of factory scenarios, breakthroughs in core technologies, and the advancement of industry integration, humanoid robots will gradually move from scientific research and performance scenarios to broader industrial fields, reshaping the future landscape of global manufacturing.
