Pudu Robotics CEO calls Tesla a long-term rival as firm targets humanoid robots

Humanoid robots are the next frontier for Pudu Robotics, founder and CEO Felix Zhang Tao told the South China Morning Post, as the Chinese company takes on Tesla in the sector and explores manufacturing in Europe, its largest overseas market.

Asked about Tesla, Zhang described it as "definitely a competitor, but a long-term one" in a recent interview with the newspaper. He added that Tesla was a "very good" rival, and said its high profile had driven innovation and broadened market awareness in robotics.

Felix Zhang Tao, founder and CEO of Pudu Robotics, pictured at IREX on December 3, 2025. Photo: Wency Chen

Pudu is based in Shenzhen. According to the South China Morning Post, the consultancy Frost & Sullivan ranked it first globally in shipments and revenues for commercial service robots in 2025. Commercial service robots are machines that perform practical tasks in businesses rather than in homes.

The newspaper reported that the company built its business on specialised machines that sweep hotel floors, clear dishes in restaurants and carry heavy goods in factories. A humanoid robot, by contrast, is a machine built to resemble the human body, which is the area Zhang now identifies as the company's next focus.

A Pudu Robotics CC1 model deployed at a shopping centre in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Pudu has also been widening its geographic footprint, the newspaper said. It opened its European headquarters in Germany last month, according to the report, after launching a US base in Dallas in April.

Zhang said Europe is the company's largest market outside China, and Pudu is now looking at the possibility of producing robots there, according to the South China Morning Post. The report, as provided, did not say when any humanoid product or European manufacturing plan might materialise.

Zhang's remarks suggest Pudu sees Tesla's presence in humanoid robotics as helpful to the wider industry, in that its prominence has raised public interest in the field, while still treating the US carmaker as a rival over the long run.