BYD has officially confirmed it plans to unveil a humanoid robot in August at Di Space, its brand experience hall. The confirmation, carried by Cailian Press on 28 July, follows a teaser poster at Di Space reading: “Early August — a new friend wants to meet you.”
BYD executive vice-president Li Ke has said the company intends to deploy humanoids across its dealer network, for customer reception and product demonstrations. That puts BYD on a near-term launch calendar — the first major Chinese automaker to put a humanoid on one.
The market is leaning in. The CSI Robot Index rose about 1 percent; Tianhong’s robotics ETF (159770) drew roughly RMB 1.4 billion in net inflows over five days. CICC notes the sector is shifting from “watching expectations” to “validating mass production.”
For a carmaker, a humanoid is the logical next product: same battery, motor and control stacks, a new showroom asset, and a front-row seat in the EV-to-robotics crossover that is reshaping Chinese manufacturing.
*Translated and adapted from 21st Century Business Herald (https://www.163.com/dy/article/L30E23NT05199NPP.html).*