As the company's largest production base, Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory has the potential to manufacture humanoid robots in the future. The president of Tesla China said the factory's manufacturing efficiency and innovation capabilities are expected to drive CEO Elon Musk's vision of quickly commercializing the technology.
Tesla China President Wang Hao said at a media conference on Tuesday that the Shanghai Gigafactory may provide the "golden key" for mass production of robots with humanoid forms and movement modes. "Like other Tesla factories, the Shanghai Gigafactory can assume the important responsibility of manufacturing all new products, including robots, and make our contribution to the company," he said. "We welcome the arrival of a new era of robots with confidence."
This is the first time Tesla executives have publicly mentioned that the Shanghai factory may be used to build humanoid robots, which is a new strategic priority set by Musk for the company.
Musk has said Tesla's advantages in artificial intelligence and autonomous driving justify the company's high stock market valuation. In January of this year, Tesla said that the company was transforming from a hardware-centric business to a physical artificial intelligence enterprise after reporting weak performance and delivery volume last year. Musk announced at the time that Tesla would stop producing Model S and Model X models and convert its factory in Fremont, California, to manufacture humanoid robots. The company has not yet started selling its humanoid robot Optimus.
Wang Hao did not elaborate on whether Tesla would assemble the robots at an existing factory in Shanghai or build a new factory for the business.
Humanoid robots driven by artificial intelligence algorithms can be used in a variety of scenarios from production logistics to hotel services and elderly care.
Analysts point out that China has advantages in supply chains and scale, allowing it to manufacture high-quality, cost-effective components. Musk endorsed Chinese robot makers on social media in December and predicted they would dominate the global robot market alongside Tesla.
In 2025, the Shanghai Gigafactory produced approximately 851,000 vehicles for domestic sales and exports, accounting for 52% of Tesla's total global production, while Tesla's total global production fell by 8.6% to 1.63 million vehicles.
The factory, which mainly produces Model 3 and Model Y models, delivered 85,670 vehicles last month, an increase of 46.2% from February, covering domestic sales and exports. In the first quarter of 2026, the factory delivered a total of 213,398 vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 23.5%, accounting for 59.6% of Tesla's total global deliveries during the same period.
Tesla's Shanghai Energy Storage Gigafactory launched the production of Megapack large-scale energy storage batteries in February last year, with an annual production capacity target of 10,000 units. The energy storage capacity of each Megapack unit can be used by 3,600 households for one hour, and the total annual energy storage capacity of the plant can reach 40 GWh.