THE 10-SECOND VERSION (AI SUMMARY)
Reviewed by our team
What happened: Toyota and Honda are testing humanoid robots in Japanese factories, and Honda plans to design future cars around them.
Why it matters: Cheaper, more efficient assembly could help bring vehicle prices down over time.
What to do: Nothing changes on your lot today, but watch for robotics to shape future pricing and product.
Robots have been helping build cars for decades. So the bigger news here isn’t that robots are on the factory floor. It’s that Honda is ready to rethink the car itself around them. If that makes building vehicles simpler and cheaper, it could become one of the more meaningful paths to affordability.
We dug into the details on today’s episode of the Automotive State of the Union.
The next breakthrough in affordability might happen on the assembly line.
Toyota and Honda’s Humanoid Robot Plans at a Glance
The two automakers previewed their robots at the Japan Mobility Show, according to Automotive News.
Toyota | Honda | |
|---|---|---|
The robot | ELEY, a two-armed worker robot | The Avatar Robot, with an AI-powered four-fingered hand |
Testing now | Supplying and placing parts | Installing wire harnesses, a task that requires real dexterity |
The big plan | 400,000 new robots across its group companies, investing $6.3 billion a year starting in 2028 | Designing future vehicles to be assembled by humanoid workers |
They aren’t alone. Tesla ended Model S and X production to make room for its Optimus robot, Renault is targeting 350 humanoids by 2027, and Mercedes-Benz aims to use them on assembly lines by 2030.
“Physical AI is not yet mature, so we are starting with simple tasks. This is just the starting line.” Hiroshi Bito, Toyota
What Robot-Built Cars Could Mean for Affordability
Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe compared this shift to earlier assembly-line evolutions, like the move from chain-driven conveyors to automated pallets. Each one changed how cars were designed.
The goal is clear: if robots can handle more of the work, cars can become cheaper to build. With the average new vehicle now above $50,000, that matters.
But there’s a human question, too. The people who build cars today will need a meaningful place in that future. And some jobs should stay firmly human, from the technician explaining a repair to the salesperson helping a family make a big decision. We’ll leave the doctoring to people, too.
Robots can build the car. People still have to earn the customer.
Hear the full conversation on today’s episode of the Automotive State of the Union.
