Chinese electric vehicle (EV) makers are opening a new front in their battle with Tesla: humanoid robots.

After spending years competing on electric cars and autonomous driving technology, leading Chinese manufacturers including BYD and Xpeng are now accelerating plans to mass-produce humanoid robots, betting that advances in artificial intelligence will unlock a vast new market beyond transportation.

The push is expected to strengthen China’s position as a global manufacturing powerhouse for next-generation mobility and robotics, an area increasingly seen as the next major battleground between Beijing and Washington.

“I believe China will become the first market to see full commercialisation of humanoid robots,” Stella Li, BYD’s executive vice-president, said in a recent video posted on the company’s official WeChat account. “BYD has made a huge investment in AI, and it will take some time before we reap the rewards.”

Li said BYD intended to distribute robots through its global dealer network, although she did not provide a timetable for mass production.

The comments come as Tesla continues to promote its Optimus humanoid robot project. In April, Tesla’s China president, Allan Wang Hao, said the company’s Shanghai Gigafactory could eventually manufacture humanoid robots, supporting CEO Elon Musk’s ambition to transform Tesla into a physical AI company. Tesla has yet to commercialise Optimus.