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- BYD is going all-in on autonomous driving as it looks to take Tesla’s EV crown.
- The Chinese automaker shared a major expansion of its “God’s Eye” intelligent driving system on Monday.
- The $9,500 Seagull EV will also get “high-level” intelligent driving features, a BYD exec said.
BYD is battling Tesla for the title of the world’s largest EV company — and now the Chinese upstart is coming for Elon Musk’s self-driving crown.
The electric vehicle giant unveiled a massive expansion of its intelligent driving system on Monday as it seeks to fight off brutal competition in the world’s most competitive car market with a new lineup of high-tech vehicles.
Prior to the event, BYD executive Zhang Zhuo said the company would release 11 models with BYD’s “God’s Eye” self-driving tech across its Ocean brand.
The ultra-cheap BYD Seagull, which currently starts at 69,800 yuan (around $9,550) in China, will also get “high-level” intelligent driving features, Zhuo wrote in a post on the Chinese social media site Weibo.
BYD general manager Lu Tian, meanwhile, said that the company’s six main brands — named after Chinese imperial dynasties — would be fully upgraded with the new technology.
BYD’s move into autonomous driving comes as Chinese carmakers increasingly shift toward “EIVs,” or electric intelligent vehicles, outfitting their cars with increasingly advanced technology as they fight for a slice of China’s hypercompetitive EV market.
Smartphone maker Xiaomi’s SU7, which starts at around $30,000 and comes with intelligent driving assist and voice control technology, has smashed sales targets since it launched last year.
Other manufacturers, such as startup Xpeng, have rolled out “AI-defined” vehicles, while Zeekr and Dongfeng have already incorporated China’s homegrown AI model Deepseek into their cars.
Not to be outdone, BYD has pledged to spend at least $14 billion on building “intelligent” vehicles.
Its “God’s Eye” driving assistance tech will face competition from Xpeng and fellow EV startup Nio, which have their own autonomous driving systems.
BYD will also face off against Tesla, with the US automaker saying it is working to begin selling its Full Self-Driving tech in China this year.
The EV giant’s sales have been booming even before it unveiled its self-driving push. BYD sold 296,446 EV and hybrid vehicles in January, up 47% from the same period in 2024.
BYD’s impressive performance comes as warning signs appear that China’s crowded EV market may be about to face a period of consolidation.
Chinese state-owned carmakers Dongfeng and Changan both announced restructuring moves on Sunday, with the two companies seeing their share prices soar as investors speculated they may be about to merge.
