Toyota launches new robotics business, targeting deployment of 400,000 robots
Toyota is making a major move into robotics, establishing a dedicated Toyota Robotics unit in January 2027. The Japanese carmaker forecasts that its factories, group companies and suppliers will need around 400,000 robots by 2040. The aim is not just to automate car production, but to make robotics Toyota’s next major business area.
Toyota wants to turn factories into robot development centres
According to Toyota’s official announcement on 5 November, the new unit will be led by manufacturing chief Takefumi Shiga. Toyota Robotics will bring robotics specialists and development projects previously spread across different departments under a single management structure.
Toyota will initially focus on using robots in its own factories. Tasks include transporting components, assembling parts and carrying out more complex assembly work.
Toyota estimates that the group’s factories and companies will need around 150,000 robots between 2028 and 2040, with suppliers requiring a further 250,000. This is an estimate of total demand, covering both robots built in-house and those purchased from external suppliers.
Toyota also forecasts an annual investment requirement of around one trillion yen, or €5.6 billion, to upgrade manufacturing equipment.
AI teaches robots to learn from people
Toyota is not limiting itself to conventional industrial robots. The company is also developing humanoid robots that can learn new working techniques by observing people.
One such project is ELEY, a wheeled humanoid robot that Toyota is developing using machine learning and imitating human movements.
The manufacturer aims to teach robots tasks that would take considerable time to program using conventional methods. This would allow robots to be used more flexibly, even at lower production volumes.
Tesla and Hyundai face a formidable competitor
Toyota is entering a market where competition is intensifying rapidly.
Tesla is developing the Optimus humanoid robot, while Hyundai-controlled Boston Dynamics is preparing Atlas for use in the automotive industry. Chinese manufacturers, including Unitree, are meanwhile developing increasingly capable and cheaper humanoid robots.
Toyota’s advantage may lie in its scale. The company produces millions of cars a year and can test robots in its own factories before selling them to other industrial companies.
This reduces reliance on external suppliers and allows Toyota to develop solutions based on real production problems.
Toyota plans to expand robot sales beyond the automotive industry from 2030, gradually moving into service and everyday-life applications as well.
A new challenge for Europe’s automotive industry
For European manufacturers, Toyota’s robotics strategy could mean additional competitive pressure. Automation helps reduce labour costs and improve production flexibility, which is particularly important in Europe, where production costs are high.
Toyota’s greatest advantage is not necessarily having the most dexterous humanoid robot, but its ability to turn robotics into a large-scale industrial operation quickly. If the company can combine its manufacturing expertise with artificial intelligence, Toyota Robotics could become a significant competitor to the world’s leading industrial robot manufacturers.
