Chinese automakers are accelerating their forays into the burgeoning humanoid robot sector as a means of strategic diversification, leveraging existing technological expertise and manufacturing capabilities in smart vehicles amid intense competition.

中国汽车制造商正加速进军蓬勃兴起的人形机器人领域，以此作为战略多元化的手段，利用现有的智能汽车技术专长和制造能力应对激烈的竞争。

Xiaomi, a high-profile relative newcomer in the smart electric vehicle sector, said on Sunday that it is working on preparing its robot, CyberOne, to work on its vehicle production lines. The consumer electronics giant unveiled the humanoid robot back in 2022.

2月23日，智能电动汽车领域备受瞩目的新秀小米公司表示，正在推进其人形机器人CyberOne在自家汽车生产线上工作。这家消费电子巨头早在2022年就发布了这款人形机器人。

GAC, a Chinese partner of Toyota and Honda, unveiled its humanoid robot GoMate in December, which stands and moves on wheels.

2024年12月，丰田汽车、本田汽车的中国合作伙伴广汽集团推出了人形机器人GoMate，该机器人可以站立并使用轮足进行移动。

The State-owned automaker said it will start mass production of the robot's components—developed in house—in 2025, and the robots are expected to work in its vehicle assembly plants from 2026.

该国有汽车制造商表示，将于2025年实现自研机器人零部件批量生产；从2026年起，该机器人将在自家汽车装配厂工作。

Li Xiang, founder and CEO of Li Auto, the first Chinese NEV startup to be profitable, said in a December interview that the company "will definitely do humanoid robots".

理想汽车是中国首个实现盈利的新能源汽车初创企业。去年12月，其创始人兼首席执行官李想在一次采访中表示，该公司“100%会做人形机器人”。

Analysts said automakers' entry into robotics stems from overlapping technologies between smart EVs and humanoid machines.

分析人士表示，汽车制造商进入机器人领域，是因为智能电动汽车和人形机器人之间存在技术重叠。

Also, their bulk purchases of components, many of which are from auto parts suppliers, give them cost advantages over smaller rivals.

此外，汽车制造商可批量采购机器人零部件，其中许多来自汽车零部件供应商，这使它们比规模较小的竞争对手更具成本优势。

Autonomous driving systems, a battleground for automakers, have become a treasure trove for robotics, said Chen Meng, a Beijing-based independent auto analyst.

北京独立汽车分析师陈蒙表示，自动驾驶系统是汽车制造商的竞技场，现已成为机器人领域的宝库。

"Sensors like lidar and cameras, AI algorithms for object recognition, and high-precision motors—all originally designed for vehicles—are now being repurposed to teach robots to 'see', 'think', and 'move'," said Chen.

陈蒙说：“像激光雷达和摄像头等传感器、用于物体识别的人工智能算法以及高精度电机，这些最初都是为汽车设计的，现在正被重新利用，教机器人‘看’、‘思考’、‘移动’。”

NEV startup Xpeng's robot—Iron—unveiled in November, will feature in-house developed chips. The robot has hands and arms that have 15 degrees of freedom, compared to Tesla chief Elon Musk's Optimus, which has 22 degrees of freedom.

去年11月，新能源汽车初创企业小鹏汽车推出了机器人Iron，该机器人将采用自主研发的芯片。这款机器人的手部有15个可动自由度，而特斯拉首席执行官埃隆•马斯克的Optimus机器人双手拥有22个自由度。

Also, entering the humanoid robot sector positions participating automakers at the forefront of a rapidly evolving industry, with potential applications across various areas, including healthcare, manufacturing and consumer services.

此外，汽车制造商进入人形机器人领域，可以处在这个快速发展行业的前沿，而该行业在医疗保健、制造业、消费服务等各个领域都有应用潜力。

That offers a new growth engine, which might prove to be more powerful over time than many can imagine, for automakers that are seeing profit declines amid white-hot competition.

汽车制造商由于竞争白热化而导致利润下降，进入这一领域刚好提供新的增长引擎，并且随着时间的推移，这一引擎的威力可能会超乎许多人的想象。

Musk has called Optimus a potential " $10 trillion business", dwarfing Tesla's auto revenue.

马斯克称，Optimus机器人是有潜力创造“10万亿美元的业务”，甚至可能超过特斯拉的汽车业务收入。

Chinese firms are equally bullish.

中国企业对此也同样持乐观态度。

Xiaomi's CyberOne, which can work as a home assistant, aims to anchor its ecosystem of smart devices.

小米的CyberOne机器人可以作为家庭助手，与其智能设备生态系统无缝连接。

In a Sina Weibo post, He Xiaopeng, CEO of Xpeng, wrote, "Robotics is a natural extension of our smart EV ecosystem."

小鹏汽车首席执行官何小鹏在微博上写道：“机器人是我们智能电动汽车生态系统的自然扩展。”

The total addressable market for humanoid robots worldwide is projected to reach $38 billion by 2035, up more than sixfold from a previous projection of $6 billion, Goldman Sachs Research analyst Jacqueline Du, head of China Industrial Technology research, wrote in a report.

高盛研究部中国工业科技分析师杰奎琳·杜在一份报告中写道，全球人形机器人的总可寻址市场预计将在2035年达到380亿美元，较此前预测的60亿美元增长逾6倍。

There are short-term, instant benefits for automakers as well, said Zhang Xiang, a fellow at the Research Center of Automobile Industry Innovation of the North China University of Technology.

北方工业大学汽车产业创新研究中心研究员张翔表示，汽车制造商也能获得短期的即时收益。

"It gives automakers such labels as 'innovation' and 'technology', which will help their appeal in the minds of potential car buyers and may help boost their performance in the stock market as well," said Zhang.

张翔说：“它给汽车制造商贴上了‘创新’和‘技术’的标签，这将有助于吸引潜在购车者，也可能有助于提振它们在股市的表现。”

Following a team of humanoid robots performing at the Spring Festival Gala in early February, a number of companies in the sector have been seeing their prices surge in China's stock market.

继2月初一组人形机器人在春晚舞台上表演后，该领域多家公司在中国股市的股价飙升。

high-profile

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