Mitsubishi said it’s forged a partnership with a university-based robotics startup to make robots in underutilized car manufacturing space.

The venture between the Japanese automaker and University of Tokyo offshoot Highlanders amounts to the first collaboration between a car manufacturer and a humanoid robot maker for mass production, Mitsubishi said.

The companies said they’re hoping to start mass robot production early next year at Mitsubishi’s Kyoto plant. Their venture follows others automakers' similar efforts to integrate more robotics into their production, including BMW.

Mitsubishi said the partners “seek to create new value in manufacturing and enhance industrial competitiveness.”

The automaker earlier invested in Highlanders and said it plans to make additional investments in the startup. It said taking the next step of working together on robot production aims to address car manufacturing challenges, including scarce labor in Japan and the need for more flexible production technology.

Mitsubishi said the intent is to use the humanoid robots produced via the collaboration in its car manufacturing and to sell to other businesses. It emphasized that the robots would work alongside humans.

“Our collaboration with Highlanders represents a challenge aimed at building a new industrial foundation in which humans and robots work together,” said Mitsubishi board Chairman Takao Kato. “At the same time, it provides Mitsubishi Motors with a valuable opportunity to deepen our technological and business expertise in the field of humanoid robotics.”

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