Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Xpeng is reportedly considering investing up to 100 billion yuan (US $13.8 billion) in humanoid robots.

Chinese state media reported on Monday that the company’s chief executive He Xiapoeng, had said that the carmaker is considering investing in humanoids as “long-term projects”, according to Reuters.

The news agency said that during an annual parliamentary session earlier this week, Xiapoeng also revealed that the company was in the early stages of investing in the sector and had made investments that could be described as “conservative”.

However, the Guangzhou-based electric vehicle manufacturer added that it is prepared to invest much more in the technology.

Xiapoeng said: "Xpeng has been working in the humanoid robot industry for five years, may continue to be in the business for another 20 years, invest additional 50 billion yuan and even 100 billion yuan.”

Since the automaker entered the humanoid robot sector in 2020, it has made great strides, unveiling its first humanoid robot model, Iron, in November 2024.

The launch positioned the firm as a direct competitor to Tesla's Optimus Bot, a humanoid robot developed for manufacturing and logistics tasks.

Several carmakers have been exploring humanoid robotics as part of their innovation strategies over the past few years.

Hyndai acquired robotics specialist Boston Dynamics in June 2021, expanding its strategy to embrace innovations in humanoid robots for industrial and service applications.

Honda developed its ASIMO robot in 2023, with the technology able to perform complex tasks such as assisting people with disabilities thanks to its advanced movement capabilities, including advanced bipedal movement.

Other companies, including Toyota and Guangzhou, have been investing in robotics for years; the latter recently launched the humanoid robot GoMate, designed for industrial environments.

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