Tesla displayed its third-generation humanoid robot at AWE 2026 (Appliance & Electronics World Expo) in Shanghai, marking one of the company's first major Chinese show appearances in recent years. Mass production is planned for the end of 2026, with potential public sales starting in 2027.
The Gen 3 robot has been redesigned from first principles with what Tesla describes as "exceptionally complex and dexterous hands." The robot can learn new skills by observing human behavior. The final production version may differ from the displayed prototype.
Production Ambitions
Elon Musk announced on Tesla's January 28 earnings call that the first mass-produced version would launch "in the first quarter of this year." The current timeline points to mass production by end of 2026. Long-term planned capacity: 1 million units per year.
Tesla is discontinuing Model S and Model X production specifically to free up manufacturing space for Optimus robots, which signals that Tesla views the humanoid robot program as higher priority than two legacy vehicle lines.
Why Shanghai?
Tesla also exhibited the Cybertruck at AWE 2026. The Shanghai show puts Tesla's robotics program in front of Chinese manufacturers who are pursuing their own humanoid robot development, including XPeng (Iron robot, mass production also targeting end of 2026) and various robotics startups backed by Chinese tech companies.
Musk expects the robots to execute complex tasks by the end of 2026. Currently, Optimus units handle simple factory tasks within Tesla's own facilities.
