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BYD adds self-driving to 21 EV models for free, opening a new front in China’s vehicle war

At least 21 EV models will be fitted with the system, bringing down the entry cost for EVs with autonomous driving capabilities

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A BYD Seagull small electric car is on display during the 20th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition in April 2023. Photo: Getty Images
Daniel Renin Shanghai
BYD plans to offer an autopilot system in nearly all its cars for free, making autonomous driving affordable to all mainland Chinese customers as the world’s largest electric-vehicle (EV) maker seeks a competitive edge in an escalating price war.

At least 21 models – including the Seagull hatchback priced from as low as 69,800 yuan (US$9,554) – will be fitted with its indigenous advanced driver assistance system, or ADAS, which enables cars to navigate on highways and conduct self-parking, the Shenzhen-based company said on Monday.

The system, known as God’s Eye, “will mark a new era when all customers can access smart driving”, founder and chairman Wang Chuanfu said.

The ADAS system would beat market expectations, built on 5,000 engineers’ painstaking research over the past seven years, he added.

BYD’s announcement echoed a bullish industry projection that 15 million new cars, or two-thirds of national sales in 2025, would be fitted with a preliminary autonomous-driving system as EV makers step up their offerings to win customers and Beijing extended a subsidy programme to spur big-ticket consumption.
BYD chairman Wang Chuanfu unveils the Yangwang U8 luxury SUV at the Shanghai Auto Show 2023. Photo: Handout
BYD chairman Wang Chuanfu unveils the Yangwang U8 luxury SUV at the Shanghai Auto Show 2023. Photo: Handout

Zhang Yongwei, general secretary of China EV100, a non-governmental organisation that counts most of the nation’s top EV executives as members, said the 15 million intelligent cars would feature at least Level 2 (L2) self-driving capabilities including steering, acceleration and deceleration, but still require drivers to take control or intervene at any time.

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