Chinese new energy vehicle giant BYD said at its latest intelligent strategy event that it will equip all its car models with its newly launched advanced autonomous driving system God's Eye.
God's Eye will be first equipped on a batch of 21 NEV models, including some priced below CNY100,000 (USD13,685), such as the CNY69,800 (USD9,555) Seagull, BYD's Chairman and President Wang Chuanfu said at the event yesterday.
Autonomous driving systems are usually equipped on vehicles priced at over CNY200,000, Wang explained. As over 70 percent of Chinese cars are cheaper than CNY100,000, most people have no access to self-driving technologies. But with God’s Eye, more and more customers will gain access to such feature, Wang noted.
Advanced self-driving capabilities will become an essential feature for vehicles in the next two to three years, Wang predicted.
God's Eye will come in three versions. God's Eye A, the triple light detection and ranging version (DiPilot 600), will be equipped on models under luxury brand Yangwang. God's Eye B, the single LiDAR version (DiPilot 300), will be used in models under premium brands Denza, Dynasty, and Ocean. God's Eye C, which uses a triple-camera vision solution (DiPilot 100), will be equipped on more affordable models.
According to several research reports by securities companies, God's Eye C will cost about CNY3,000 (USD410) per car.
God's Eye uses BYD's self-developed intelligent driving chips and algorithmic architecture while integrating computer platforms from third-party suppliers, such as Nvidia and Horizon Robotics, said Yang Dongsheng, senior vice president of BYD and head of the Shenzhen-based company's automotive new technology research institute.
BYD also announced yesterday that its hybrid and pure electric vehicle platforms will be upgraded to Xuanji Architecture, a vehicular intelligent architecture that serves as both the brain and neural network of the vehicle, enabling an efficient blend of electrification and intelligence, to support God's Eye. Xuanji fully integrates Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek's large language model.
Shares of BYD and its smart driving technology suppliers fell today after rising for several days since the carmaker said on Feb. 5 it would unveil a new smart driving strategy.
BYD [SHE: 002594] was trading down 1 percent at CNY326.80 (USD44.72) as of 10.45 a.m. in Shenzhen today, after soaring over 20 percent in the past four trading days. The stock of the company's electronic component branch BYD Electronic [HKG: 0285] dropped 0.6 percent to HKD54.60 (USD7) but climbed nearly 25 percent since Feb. 5.
Meanwhile, shares of smart car lens provider Yutong Optical Technology [SHE: 300790] plunged 5.9 percent to CNY29.25 (USD4) as of 10.45 a.m. today, compared with a 54 percent jump in the past four trading days. Smart driving chip manufacturer Horizon Robotics [HKG: 9660] plunged 9 percent to HKD5.47 (70 US cents) today but surged 18 percent since Feb. 5.
