Dongfeng Motor to Begin Trial Humanoid Robot Production at Year-End

Dongfeng Motor plans to begin small-batch trial production of its humanoid robot at the end of this year, aiming to bring its working capabilities on par with human workers by the end of next year.

The humanoid robot will enter manufacturing factories in October to handle sorting and quality inspection tasks, according to Zhang Zhenlin, chief engineer of intelligent technology at Dongfeng.

Factory Sorting and Showroom Patrols

Development covers two distinct platforms: a bipedal humanoid named Xiaodong and a quadruped model called Yuanzai. Both debuted at the 2026 World Robot Conference in August this year.

Xiaodong handles material sorting inside automotive manufacturing plants. Over time, the system will move from single repetitive tasks to autonomous factory floor operations.

Commercial rollout begins earlier for Yuanzai. The quadruped will handle customer guidance in auto dealerships, campus patrols, and facility monitoring through onboard multimodal perception and autonomous navigation.

Cross-Sector Technology Sharing

Chinese automakers are applying EV software architectures and artificial intelligence models directly to robotics hardware. Dongfeng chief engineer of intelligent technology Zhang Zhenlin said developing embodied intelligence lets teams reuse automotive large-model technology and speed up commercialization.

Automakers’ development of embodied intelligence products allows technology to be reused across multiple areas such as automotive large models, thereby speeding up commercialization and mass production.

Overlapping supply chains give carmakers immediate access to batteries, vision sensors, and assembly infrastructure. Factory operators expect the humanoid units to reduce assembly costs while running round-the-clock inspections on vehicle lines.

The Competitive Field in China

Dongfeng is not alone in the push. Several domestic EV makers have built dedicated robotics divisions to automate shop floors and sell commercial hardware.

Xpeng opened a humanoid robot production line on September 8, 2026. It plans mass production of its Iron robot by late 2026, with customer deliveries starting in 2027. Chery-backed Aimoga Robotics has shipped more than 3,000 units globally and is preparing an IPO. Li Auto, Seres, and Leapmotor have also put capital into embodied AI development this year.

Capital Allocation and Global Goals

Robot deployment fits into a wider overseas expansion budget. Dongfeng plans to invest 50 billion yuan ($7.41 billion) internationally to launch more than 50 vehicle models.

Under a roadmap presented by deputy general manager Zhou Feng, the company will build 10 assembly plants and five research hubs outside China. Dongfeng targets 1.5 million overseas vehicle sales annually by 2030, using Xiaodong’s 15-month trial run as the baseline test for broader automation.