4 days ago
BYD plans to roll out smart driving system in overseas markets soon, including Singapore
SHENZHEN: Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD plans to make its intelligent driving technology, known as 'God's Eye', available in overseas markets like Singapore soon.
The world's largest EV maker told CNA that while it cannot commit to a specific timeline, the technology could be rolled out progressively, with certain features made available first instead of all at once.
Singapore, where BYD has become the top-selling car so far this year, will get some smart driving features by next year at the latest, said Liu Xueliang, general manager of the company's Asia Pacific auto sales division.
These features include automated parking, adaptive cruising and remote parking, where a driver can use their mobile phone to park or drive their vehicle.
The system relies on different cameras, radar and lidar sensors to do this, though the specific configuration is based on different tiers.
Liu noted that BYD first needs to test its assisted-driving system on actual roads and 'constantly evolve the algorithm', given the differing road conditions in various countries.
'Of course, there are also some habits of local consumers, including some (assisted) self-driving, parking, and highway conditions,' he added.
On top of that, he noted that automakers need to adhere to each country's laws and regulations on unmanned driving, which are rapidly evolving as autonomous vehicle technology advances.
'We respect the laws and regulations of any market and need to pass their rigorous certification system,' Liu said.
'When everything is mature, we will gradually push this to the market in the short term.'
SHIFTING GEARS
This comes as China seeks new markets for its vehicles to boost its economic growth and exports, amid ongoing trade tensions and accusations of overcapacity by the likes of the United States and Europe.
Liu also said the highly competitive EV market in China is shifting gears from vehicle electrification.
'Now, the Chinese market is in the stage of intelligence competition,' he pointed out to CNA during a media visit to the firm's headquarters in Shenzhen.
China, which is the world's largest automotive market, has seen a years-long price war where carmakers have been slashing prices and offering features previously perceived as premium, such as smart assisted driving, for free.
BYD announced in February that it will offer the 'God's Eye' smart driving system, which was first unveiled in 2023, in nearly all of its vehicles at no additional cost to buyers.
The cheapest model it offered was the popular Seagull hatchback, priced at US$9,555 at the time.
Last weekend, the company announced a fresh round of subsidies and incentives for more than 20 models, reducing the price of the Seagull to about US$7,800.
BYD's move to integrate smart features in almost all its future vehicles was part of efforts to challenge its domestic rivals like Xpeng as well as American EV maker Tesla.
LARGER SCALE THAN COMPETITORS
Xpeng and Nio have announced smart features in their cars as well, but both Chinese EV makers sold about 100,000 to 200,000 vehicles each last year – significantly fewer than BYD, which sold more than 4 million vehicles globally in 2024.
Experts said this scale brings not just cost savings, but other benefits too.
Tu Le, founder and managing director of consulting firm Sino Auto Insights, said the data BYD can collect from the cars it sells will enable the technology to 'get better very fast'.
'Some of these other car companies (that) don't have as many vehicles on the road and aren't collecting as much data, it might take a little bit longer,' he added.
'They're already ahead of BYD currently (in terms of technology). Whether they can stay ahead of BYD in the long term, I'm not that sure.'
This has also put smart driving features within reach of many countries.
'If you were talking to somebody in Mexico, Thailand or Vietnam, it wasn't on their radar,' he said.
'Now, because BYD already sells into these markets, these capabilities are going to become standard. It's something that could be used all over the world within the next four or five years.
In terms of foreign markets, he also flagged concerns over whether countries or regions, such as Southeast Asia, are ready for assisted-driving technology.
Other challenges include data privacy and whether users will accept the technology.
"I have concerns and fears, such as what problems may arise in traffic jams, and scratches,' said 33-year-old Xi'an native, who only wanted to be identified as Mr Dong.
Thirty-three-year-old Su Na, who works in the exhibitions and events industry, told CNA: "I am still sceptical about new energy vehicles because there are too many that will catch fire or lock when there is an accident.
