Arya News - Hyundai`s Atlas at $130,000 faces Tesla’s $20,000 goal — and China’s $13,500 rival.
SEOUL – Hyundai Motor Group and Tesla are heading toward a second realm following their automotive rivalry — this time in humanoid robotics, extending a competitive dynamic first forged in the electric vehicle market.
Tesla’s history of using aggressive pricing to defend and expand its EV dominance suggests it could deploy a similar strategy in robotics, setting up a potential price war as the market begins to scale.
Two strategies, two price tags
According to a recent report by the Export-Import Bank of Korea, Hyundai is expected to price the Atlas humanoid robot — developed by its US subsidiary Boston Dynamics — at around $130,000 at launch.
However, unit costs are projected to fall sharply with scale. Once annual production reaches 30,000 units, Atlas’ unit cost could drop to about $35,000 — roughly a quarter of the initial level — and fall further to around $30,000 at 50,000 units.
By comparison, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has indicated that Optimus could be priced at roughly $20,000 to $30,000 per unit — less than half the cost of a typical Tesla vehicle. At launch, Atlas could carry a price tag more than four times that of Optimus, though the gap may narrow to around 1.5 times as production ramps up.
The contrast mirrors the companies’ EV rivalry. Hyundai, a legacy automaker, transitioned from internal combustion engines to hybrids and electric vehicles, while Tesla was built from the ground up as an EV company. Backed by large-scale production and aggressive cost control, Tesla has largely outpaced Hyundai in global battery EV sales.
Industry observers expect Tesla to replicate that formula in robotics. Hyundai is concentrating on high-performance industrial applications, while Tesla is likely to pursue broader commercialization — including potential household use — to accelerate mass adoption and capture market share early.
Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot. PHOTO: TESLA/THE KOREA HERALD
Chang Tai-woo, a professor of industrial engineering at Kyonggi University, said the price gap reflects performance differences.
“Atlas can lift up to 50 kilograms, compared with about 20 kilograms for Optimus, and it offers more advanced joint mobility,” he said. If Tesla targets heavy industrial applications, it may need to upgrade specifications — and prices — accordingly.
Still, Chang expects Tesla to adopt a multitiered pricing strategy to secure early leadership, offering entry-level models for light industrial or home use alongside higher-spec versions for factories — similar to Samsung Electronics’ smartphone lineup.
“Tesla appears focused on scaling quickly and securing the market first,” he said. “Hyundai, by contrast, is taking an approach closer to Apple’s — prioritizing high-performance machines and proving their viability in demanding industrial settings.”
China’s scale economics
Price competition may ultimately extend beyond the Hyundai-Tesla rivalry.
“When it comes to mass production, no one can match China,” Chang warned, noting that aggressive pricing from Chinese manufacturers could reset industry benchmarks and intensify pressure on both companies.
According to US-based humanoid market tracker Robozaps, humanoid robots are expected to range from about $8,000 to more than $250,000 this year. Among full-featured models, China’s Unitree G1 — priced at $13,500 — is currently the lowest-cost option on the market.
Whether Hyundai’s premium, industrial-first strategy or Tesla’s lower-cost, rapid commercialization approach ultimately prevails remains uncertain.
Han Jae-kwon, a robotics engineering professor at Hanyang University, said Tesla’s push into home deployment may carry greater regulatory uncertainty than Hyundai’s factory-focused model.
“Household humanoid robots are not just about technological readiness,” Han said. “Safety standards and certification requirements will be critical. How companies navigate those institutional hurdles will determine long-term viability.”
Although US-based 1X Technologies aims to begin initial US deliveries of its home-use humanoid robot, NEO, this year, Han added that the lack of a clearly established regulatory framework could introduce further uncertainty as the market evolves.