China humanoid robot output to top 100,000 units in 2026 as Unitree’s IPO soars 460% on debut
Beijing has put an official number on the humanoid ramp. At a Shanghai briefing early July, a deputy director at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), said China’s humanoid robot output will exceed 100,000 units in 2026. Output was about 20,000 units in 2025 and passed 40,000 in the first half.
EV makers are moving in behind the pure-plays. XPeng has its IRON humanoid in small-batch trial production at its Guangzhou base, targeting more than 1,000 units a month by year-end and showroom deployment from Q1 2027. BYD debuted its first operable prototype, a 31-degree-of-freedom service humanoid called Xiao Di, at its Di Space site in Zhengzhou in early August. The stated goal is two to three robots in every dealership.