Leading Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers like BYD and Xpeng are accelerating plans to mass-produce humanoid robots, challenging Tesla. They are betting on AI advancements to open a significant new market beyond transportation.

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...