It will enable advanced driver assistance resources in almost all of its future models at no additional cost to buyers, as part of a strategy to challenge domestic rivals in the competitive electric vehicle market.
The manufacturer will make his driver assistance system called God’s Eye, a standard in vehicles with prices from 100,000 yuan ($ 13,688) in China and will include him in several lower cost models such as the popular hatchback Seagull. BYD also plans to integrate Deepseek software, the Chinese startup that surprised the markets with its open source AI model, announced on Monday (10), without specifying when this will occur.
Assisted driving is one of the main battlefields for car manufacturers in China. BYD seeks to close the technology gap with more advanced rivals, such as XPEG, and the decision to implement resources even on its most affordable models aims to further boost sales.
This year “will be the first of smart driving for everyone,” said BYD president Wang Chuanfu during an event at the company’s headquarters in Shenzhen. “This will become an indispensable item in the next two to three years, as well as a seat belt or an airbag.”
First presented in 2023, God’s Eye uses different radar cameras and sensors to assist drivers with features such as valet parking, adaptive cruise control and automated braking.
China, the world’s largest automotive market, has adopted driver support resources like few other places, with most manufacturers offering technology ranging from levels 2 to 3 – providing drivers certain degrees of support in tasks such as direction and braking . Tesla awaits Beijing’s approval to start testing of resources it sells as total autonomous driving, which requires constant supervision. BYD also said it had obtained China’s first assisted assisted driving test license.
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BYD, which sold more than 4 million cars last year, bets on its scale, data access and its team of software engineers for a competitive advantage. Vehicles with a similar system of other brands are usually sold by over 150,000 yuan, while some manufacturers charge additional fees to enable driver assistance resources. God’s Eye will be made available on prices from 69,800 yuan.
Investors are closely following BYD plans for smart cars after the automaker promises last year to invest 100 billion Yuan to develop advanced technology. The shares rose 21% in Hong Kong last week, expecting the company to provide an optimistic update on its technology. The goal is to deliver up to 6 million vehicles this year and the company led an intense price war that has pressed lower rivals.
After fully compromised with totally electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids in 2022, BYD has focused on updating its propulsion systems. Last year, she presented hybrids capable of traveling more than 2,000 kilometers and expects to launch the successor of her Iron Phosphate and Lithium Blade batteries this year, which can increase autonomy, speed up loading and improve durability.
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