Forbes Exposes BYD's True Ambition: Humanoid Robot Frontline Officially Challenges Tesla

The global new energy vehicle market underwent a major shift in 2025, as BYD (002594-CN) officially surpassed Tesla (TSLA-US) to become the world's top-selling new energy vehicle brand. However, Forbes (Japanese edition) recently pointed out that the real competition is no longer limited to the electric vehicle market—BYD is now launching a new round of challenges against Tesla through its strategic push into humanoid robots.

Forbes believes BYD is gradually transforming from an automobile manufacturer into a robotics company spanning industrial, commercial, and household applications. Unlike many companies that loudly showcase prototypes, BYD has chosen to first accumulate experience in real industrial environments.

The report indicates that instead of rushing into self-development, BYD first introduced third-party humanoid robots into production bases in Shenzhen and Changsha, deploying them on actual production lines to perform tasks such as part sorting, pallet transportation, labeling, precision assembly, and visual inspection.

Currently, around 200 humanoid and quadruped robots from various brands are operating daily within BYD factories, forming one of the world's largest clusters of practical robot operations. Through long-term operation, the company has collected vast amounts of real-world industrial data, evaluating different products' performance in stability, scene adaptability, and human-robot collaboration—data that serves as a crucial foundation for future in-house development.

Forbes notes that BYD is following a 'first scenario, then product' strategy. Only after thoroughly understanding industrial demands did the company establish a dedicated team and launch its humanoid robot R&D project, codenamed 'Yaoshunyu'.

BYD is extending its years of accumulated vehicle manufacturing capabilities into robotics, sharing technologies such as the three-electric system, electronic control algorithms, sensors, and thermal management. Over 60% of components are interchangeable, and the self-developed rate for core components exceeds 80%. The new generation of robots also features lithium iron phosphate batteries and quick-swap battery designs, meeting the demands of long-duration, high-load operations in factories.

According to Forbes' analysis, BYD's humanoid robot strategy unfolds in three phases.

Phase one involves full deployment within its own factories, with plans to deploy 20,000 self-developed humanoid robots across global production bases by 2026, replacing high-intensity, repetitive, and high-risk tasks to establish an internal business model.

Phase two extends to 4S showrooms and retail outlets, where robots will handle customer reception, product introductions, inspections, and after-sales support, expanding commercial application scenarios.

Phase three targets the home market, aiming for robots to eventually perform cleaning, cooking, companionship, and daily life assistance, gradually bringing humanoid robots into ordinary households.

Beyond technological strategy, Forbes also highlights BYD's cost competitiveness.

Currently, global humanoid robot prices remain high, with overseas models priced between 700,000 and 1.4 million CNY, and domestic industrial-grade models mostly exceeding 250,000 CNY. BYD aims to leverage its fully vertically integrated supply chain and mass production capabilities to keep mass-produced robot prices under 200,000 CNY, lowering commercialization barriers and accelerating market adoption.

Divergent Development Paths from Tesla

Forbes points out that BYD and Tesla have already established two distinctly different approaches in humanoid robot development.

According to Tesla's Q2 2026 financial report, the Optimus-dedicated production line has been completed. However, the first batch of units will not be sold externally or directly deployed in industrial production. Instead, they will be sent to closed environments for continuous training, prioritizing the development of general-purpose embodied intelligence.

In contrast, BYD emphasizes 'deployment first, then iteration', aiming to rapidly accumulate real-world usage experience through industrial environments and drive continuous technical improvement through commercial applications.

Short-Term Deployment, Long-Term Intelligence

Forbes believes that the global humanoid robot industry is gradually forming two main development paths.

Tesla focuses on algorithms and general AI, aiming to build robots capable of operating across various scenarios, thus investing more time in long-term R&D. BYD, on the other hand, centers on manufacturing capability, real-world scenarios, and cost control, rapidly establishing a commercial cycle through factory mass production and continuously iterating its products.

In the short term, BYD is likely to gain a leading position in the industrial humanoid robot market by leveraging its mass production capabilities, supply chain integration, and industrial scenario advantages. In the long term, Tesla still holds greater potential for technological advancement in the field of general embodied intelligence.

Forbes concludes with four key observations: BYD has become a significant challenger to Tesla in the humanoid robot market; the industry is forming two distinct commercialization models; supply chain integration and cost control will be key competitive factors in the medium to long term; and the focus of future humanoid robot competition will shift from single technical capabilities to comprehensive strengths in manufacturing, batteries, supply chains, scenarios, and mass production. As more automakers enter the field, the rivalry between the Chinese and American industrial pathways will continue to intensify.