From the South China Morning Post, February 10:
At least 21 EV models will be fitted with the system, bringing down the entry cost for EVs with autonomous driving capabilities
BYD plans to offer an autopilot system in nearly all its cars, 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....
