A senior Tesla executive expressed confidence Tuesday that the electric vehicle manufacturer’s Shanghai production facility will be instrumental in overcoming manufacturing hurdles as the company transitions toward robotics.
Tesla Vice President Wang Hao, who doubles as the president of Tesla China, indicated that the Shanghai plant will play a vital role once the automaker fully embraces its robotic future, similar to other Tesla manufacturing sites worldwide.
During a media tour of the Shanghai facility organized by government officials, Wang referenced CEO Elon Musk’s previous observations about the difficulties of large-scale manufacturing for humanoid robots. Wang described the Shanghai manufacturing operations as “a golden key to solving this challenge,” though he did not elaborate on specific ways the facility would support Tesla’s robotics division.
Musk has been encouraging stakeholders to shift attention away from vehicle sales toward what he envisions as an artificial intelligence-driven future featuring autonomous taxi services operating without human drivers or traditional controls, plus robots capable of household tasks like plant care and elder assistance.
This strategic pivot became more concrete when Musk recently announced Tesla’s decision to discontinue manufacturing of its Model S and X vehicles during the second quarter, while repurposing a California facility in Fremont for Optimus robot production.
According to Omdia, a London-based technology analysis firm, Tesla delivered under 500 general-purpose intelligent robots in 2025. However, the research group noted that Tesla remains among manufacturers demonstrating cutting-edge artificial intelligence developments in the sector.
Tesla first entered China’s market in 2013, with the Shanghai plant where Wang spoke beginning vehicle deliveries in late 2019. The facility produced 851,000 electric vehicles in 2025, representing over half of Tesla’s worldwide deliveries for that period.
Additionally, Tesla launched a second Shanghai facility in 2025 dedicated to commercial energy storage production, marking the company’s entry into that manufacturing sector within China.
