# Toyota plan covers upgrades to 400,000 factory robots, not 400,000 humanoids

_Published Sunday, September 20, 2026 at 5:20 PM EDT · Robotics, Products · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![Toyota plan covers upgrades to 400,000 factory robots, not 400,000 humanoids — Primary](https://assets.st-note.com/production/uploads/images/315625784/rectangle_large_type_2_6d387cfa1d2deeaf0629ef44bf62b7f4.png?fit=bounds&quality=85&width=1280)

Toyota's factory-renewal plan covers the replacement and advancement of about 400,000 robots across the automaker, its group companies and major suppliers, rather than the deployment of 400,000 humanoid robots, an analysis of the company's presentation and subsequent reporting found.

The program, planned from 2028, spans conventional industrial robots, logistics automation and humanoid and non-humanoid systems. Toyota's wheeled ELEY research robot is one example, not the entire fleet. The analysis said an initial Japanese headline linking ELEY with the 400,000 figure was later changed, but the inaccurate interpretation continued circulating through Chinese, South Korean and Southeast Asian media.

## Sources

- [note](https://note.com/china_case/n/n231ae26da217?hl=en)

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Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/JcSLKAseUBIqmvXGJ5edaE
Published: 2026-09-20T21:20:19.707Z
Story chronology: 2026-09-20T09:25:44.000Z
Retrieved: 2026-09-22T05:10:47.188Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)