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Wang Hao, Tesla's vice president, said the Shanghai facilities,
like other Tesla factories, will contribute after the company
enters an era of robots.
Wang, who also serves as president of Tesla China, told
reporters on a government-organized tour of one of its Shanghai
factories that CEO Elon Musk once noted having production at
scale is a critical challenge in manufacturing humanoid robots.
Wang said he believes the Shanghai manufacturing arm “is a
golden key to solving this challenge," but did not specify how
the operation will support the company's robotic business.
Musk has urged investors to focus less on car sales and more on
what he considers a bright artificial intelligence future of
robotaxis ferrying millions in cars without drivers, or even
steering wheels, and robots watering plants and taking care of
elderly parents.
Musk earlier underlined that shift by announcing Tesla had
decided to end production of two older car models, S and X, in
the second quarter and convert a Fremont, California, factory to
instead produce its Optimus robots.
London-based technology research and advisory group Omdia said
Tesla shipped fewer than 500 general-purpose embodied,
intelligent robots in 2025. Still, the company is among the
vendors that showcased industry-leading advancements in AI
capabilities, its report said.
Tesla entered the mainland Chinese market in 2013 and the
factory Wang spoke at delivered the company's first
made-in-China vehicles in late 2019. The factory delivered
851,000 electric vehicles in 2025, accounting for more than half
of Tesla's total global deliveries that year.
A separate factory began production in Shanghai in 2025, marking
the firm's launch of commercial energy storage manufacturing in
China.
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Leung reported from Hong Kong. Video producer Olivia Zhang
contributed to this report.
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