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Oct 16
DIGITIMES Insights: China's automakers pursue three humanoid robot strategies as EV supply chains offer 60% overlap
Chinese automakers are accelerating their expansion into humanoid robotics, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, electric drive systems, and supply chain resources developed through their automotive businesses, according to DIGITIMES Intelligence.
Toyota Motor will introduce its proprietary gigacasting technology in China to produce premium vehicles, while it has not disclosed whether it will use equipment from local Chinese suppliers. The automaker also plans to produce the next-generation Corolla in China from 2028 using a common platform compatible with multiple powertrain systems.
China's premium electric vehicle (EV) market is facing renewed safety scrutiny following product defect concerns. Maextro, an ultra-luxury automotive brand jointly developed by Huawei and JAC Motors, has sparked widespread public debate over vehicle safety and testing standards after its V800 MPV suffered consecutive brake pedal bracket fractures during dynamic braking tests.
Major Chinese energy storage system suppliers that once dominated the US market have reportedly withdrawn almost entirely from US operations in 2026, amid mounting regulatory restrictions, overlapping tariffs, and stringent ownership scrutiny, according to US supply chain sources.
Chinese EV giant and AI mobility manufacturer XPeng has made a major appearance at the Paris Automotive Summit by bringing not just its automotive expertise into the European collaborative space, but a broader technology stack built on the automaker's existing strengths in EV manufacturing and humanoid robotics.
The engineering fusion of SpaceX and Tesla's flagship technologies is making a dramatic showcase through Tesla's next-generation Roadster reveal, held at SpaceX's McGregor, Texas test site on October 15.
Volvo Cars and Nvidia are expanding their partnership to develop automated-driving technology for future Volvo vehicles, with potential implications for drivers worldwide. The system is designed to handle highways, urban streets, and parking while gradually introducing eyes-off and mind-off driving, combining Volvo's safety expertise with Nvidia's sensors, computing, and software.
Chun Yuan Steel expects Taiwan's auto market to deliver its strongest quarter of 2026 in the final three months, lifting full-year new-vehicle sales to 430,000 units from 411,000 in 2025. The steel processor also anticipates fresh growth opportunities as Kuozui Motors begins exporting finished vehicles to Japan, potentially strengthening Taiwan's position in Toyota Motor's global production network.
Samsung SDI will begin mass-producing cylindrical lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries for AI servers as early as June 2027, marking the first adoption of cylindrical LFP backup batteries by a South Korean battery maker. The move expands the company's product portfolio beyond its traditional focus on ternary batteries as AI data centers drive rapidly growing demand for battery backup units (BBUs).
As artificial intelligence increasingly blurs the boundary between the digital and physical worlds, complications associated with real-world deployment — particularly the extreme variability of physical environments — are emerging as a subtler configuration challenge in the industry spotlight.
Toyota Motor Corp. plans to sell 1,000 units of its compact electric bus, the e-Palette, within five to six years as it prepares to introduce a Level 4 autonomous driving version in fiscal 2027, which runs from April 2027 through March 2028. The target is more than 10 times the vehicle's current sales, positioning the e-Palette for broader use in mobility services across Japan.
BYD plans to launch a large-scale hiring drive in Europe, aiming to increase its local workforce to about 40,000 by 2030 as it seeks to become a leading automaker in the region. Stella Li, BYD's executive vice president for overseas operations, told Bloomberg Television at the Paris Motor Show on October 12 that the company's commitment to Europe is firm and long term.