Mitsubishi Motors signs MOU to build Highlanders humanoids at its Kyoto plant

Mitsubishi Motors and Highlanders, a University of Tokyo spinout, signed an MOU on July 9, 2026 to jointly develop humanoid robots for Mitsubishi factories and to explore mass production of Highlanders machines at Mitsubishi's Kyoto Plant.

This is factory robotics, not a living-room companion. HomeBotRadar is covering it because automakers keep turning idle plants into humanoid lines, the same pattern we watch with Figure 02, Unitree G1, and Hyundai's Boston Dynamics path around Spot.

What the deal covers

Mitsubishi and Highlanders will:

• Put Highlanders humanoids on Mitsubishi manufacturing floors first, to collect real operational data
• Study mass production of Highlanders products using unused buildings at the Kyoto plant
• Aim for production to become feasible in early 2027

Mitsubishi already invested in Highlanders and says it plans more. CEO Takao Kato framed the deal as building a foundation where humans and robots work together, and as a way for the carmaker to learn humanoid robotics as a business. Highlanders CEO Hiroya Masuoka called domestic mass production with an auto partner a step toward solving industrial labor gaps through physical AI.

Mitsubishi also calls this the first auto-maker plus humanoid-developer collaboration built around mass production.

Scale and plant plans

Japanese reporting puts the ramp target near 1,000 units per month once production matures, with idle engine line space in Kyoto reused for robot assembly. Treat that volume as a reported ramp goal. The companies' own wording sticks to early-2027 feasibility and unused Kyoto buildings, not a locked monthly quota.

Factory first, then maybe other buyers

The first robots are expected to handle material moves, part placement, and other repetitive line tasks inside Mitsubishi. The partners may later sell to other manufacturers short on labor. Highlanders also lists general-purpose humanoids and quadrupeds plus simulators on its company profile. There is still no consumer MSRP, no home ship date, and no retail cart.

What this means for HomeBotRadar

We are not adding a Highlanders humanoid to the catalog. This is an industrial production and partnership story.

For shoppers, the signal is indirect: Japan is pairing OEM manufacturing muscle with a young humanoid startup the same way other groups scale factory bipeds before any home SKU. Open Figure 02 and Unitree G1 on Compare if you want the catalog view of developer/factory humanoids you can already research. Watch Kyoto for whether early-2027 production actually starts, and whether any Highlanders unit ever leaves the plant floor for a home buyer path.