Alright, so picture this: the future’s barreling toward us with all these mechanical gadgets on wheels or let’s say, those funky robotic legs. Auto parts folks are kinda grinning from ear to ear, right? I mean, according to some report from Morgan Stanley on, uh, June 18, they’re all agog because all these humanoid robots are like the next big thing for them. Some analysts, Adam Jonas, Sheng Zhong, and Andy Meng, if I’m remembering right, think these robo-humanoids are the next cash cow for auto parts folks. Wild, huh?
This whole scene is kinda like déjà vu from when electric cars blew up and then all this smart car tech with those bizarre driver-assisting doohickeys. So there’s this company, Sanhua, that’s gonna pop up in Hong Kong markets soon on top of wherever they are already in China. Oh, and did I mention? There’s Tesla and Xpeng, already playing around with these humanoid buddies. Then you’ve got others like Zeekr and Volkswagen dropping hints about their robot side projects. Side note, auto suppliers might gobble up between 47% to 60% of the parts and materials binge. That’s like $15,000 for each humanoid thingy, which sounds like a lot, right?
Some stuff like screws and bearings might not exactly scream “car!” but Morgan Stanley’s like, “Hey, machinery companies might handle those bits better.” And geez, by 2050, any guesses on the humanoid market worth? It’s mind-boggling: $800 billion in China alone and a cool $5 trillion globally. I can’t even wrap my head around those zeroes.
Going on a tangent here, but Morgan Stanley’s all about those “tier-1” module peeps like Sanhua ‘cause they’re steady Eddie no matter which tech wind blows. Meanwhile, those “tier-2” folks — like lidar or chip makers — not so much.
And oh joy, we’ve got their three market darlings in China. First up is Tuopu. They set a wild 63-yuan price target, which apparently is a 39% hike from last week. Tuopu messes with those actuator things — they’re like mechanical puppet strings for cars and humanoids. They expected the whole actuator market to kinda balloon 57% each year through 2030. Mmm, I guess that’s big news for Sanhua and Tuopu wallets.
Speaking of Sanhua, Morgan Stanley bumped ‘em up to an “overweight” status. We’re talking about a 30-yuan target, a modest 20% rise. Not a bad day at the office, I dare say. They’ve got this plan to dodge geopolitical bellyaches by setting up shop in Thailand, sometime around 3Q25. Cool, right?
And last but not least, Xusheng got tossed to equal weight. Their stock’s hovering at about 12 yuan, so not too shabby. They’re gearing up in the humanoid scene, doing parts like casting and torso structures or something. But, honestly, no clue how seamless the switch from car bits to human-esque robot parts really is. Seems like there are still a gazillion questions bouncing around about the future of humanoids.
Despite potential cost advantages for these Chinese part folks over their international buddies, there’s a looming cloud of U.S.-China tension. That could have some businesses reaching deeper into their pockets for pricier options just to play it safe. Makes you wonder, huh?
