BYD will enable advanced driver-assistance features in almost all future models at no additional cost to buyers as part of a bid to challenge Tesla and domestic rivals in China’s cutthroat electric-vehicle market.
The manufacturer will make its God’s Eye driver-assistance system standard in vehicles priced from 100,000 yuan (S$18,540) in China and include it in several lower-cost models such as the popular Seagull hatchback. BYD also plans to integrate software from DeepSeek, the Chinese startup that stunned markets with its open-source AI model, it said on Monday (Feb 10), without specifying when that would happen.
Assisted driving is one of the core battlegrounds for automakers in China. BYD is looking to close the technology gap with more advanced rivals like Xpeng, with the decision to roll out the features to even its most affordable models meant to fuel further sales.
This year “will be the first of intelligent driving for everybody,” BYD chairman Wang Chuanfu said during an event at the company’s headquarters in Shenzhen. “It will become a must-have in the next two to three years, just as a seatbelt or airbag.”
First unveiled in 2023, God’s Eye relies on different cameras and radar sensors to assist drivers with features including valet parking, adaptive cruising and automated braking.
China, the world’s biggest car market, has embraced driver-support features like few other places, with most manufacturers providing technology that’s between level two and three – giving drivers certain degrees of support with tasks like steering and braking. Tesla is waiting for approval from Beijing to roll out trials of features it markets as Full Self-Driving, which require constant supervision. BYD also claimed it has obtained China’s first level three assisted driving testing licence.
BYD, which sold over four million cars last year, is betting on its scale, access to data and its scores of software engineers for an edge. Vehicles with a similar system made by other brands typically retail for more than 150,000 yuan, while some manufacturers charge additional fees to have driver-assistance features enabled. God’s Eye will go into cars with a price tag of as low as 69,800 yuan.
Investors are keenly watching BYD’s smart-car plans after the automaker last year pledged to invest 100 billion yuan to develop advanced technology. Shares climbed 21 per cent in Hong Kong last week on expectations the company would give a bullish update on its technology. It aims to deliver as many as six million vehicles this year and has led a bruising price war that’s squeezed smaller rivals.
After going all-in on fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in 2022, BYD has focused on upgrading its powertrains. Last year, it unveiled hybrids capable of driving over 2,000 km, and it’s expected to launch the successor to its lithium iron phosphate Blade batteries this year, which could add more range, faster charging and more durability. BLOOMBERG
