BYD expedites smart driving era with sweeping updates to 21 models

BYD has rolled out Smart Driving Edition updates for 21 models, including the Seagull, which is priced as low as RMB 69,800.

BYD said that in the next 2 to 3 years, high-level smart driving capabilities will become as essential a vehicle feature as seat belts and airbags.

BYD (HKG: 1211, OTCMKTS: BYDDY) is speeding up the arrival of the smart driving era, launching 21 models with smart driving systems in a sweeping move, after a successful electrification transition.

The company announced at a vehicle intelligence strategy launch event today that smart driving features will be offered across its entire model lineup, including not only high-end models, but also those under RMB 100,000 ($13,700).

In the next two to three years, high-level smart driving capabilities will become as essential a vehicle feature as seatbelts and airbags, BYD chairman and president Wang Chuanfu said at today’s event.

The biggest obstacle to the widespread use of smart driving is the high prices, resulting in most consumers not having access to those features, he said.

BYD will accelerate the adoption of smart driving features by making it available to everyone, he added.

The company calls its smart driving system “God’s Eye,” and similar to its body control system DiSus, it has different branches.

The top-of-the-line God’s Eye A system is the DiPilot 600, which uses three LiDARs and is mainly used by ultra-luxury sub-brand Yangwang.

The God’s Eye B solution is DiPilot 300, which uses one or two LiDARs and is mainly used in the Denza brand and some BYD premium cars.

The smart driving solution for the God’s Eye C system is DiPilot 100, which does not have any LiDAR and instead uses a camera vision solution for BYD’s affordable models.

The company today updated 21 models in a sweeping move, after already having previously equipped Yangwang, Denza and some of the pricier BYD models with high-level smart driving systems.

All models under the BYD brand received the Smart Driving Edition update, while prices remained the same as before, meaning that the smart driving features were added for free.

BYD’s Ocean lineup has launched 11 Smart Driving Edition models and here are their starting price ranges:

Seagull Smart Driving Edition: RMB 69,800 to RMB 85,800.

Dolphin Smart Driving Edition: RMB 99,800 to RMB 125,800.

Seal 05 DM-i Smart Driving Edition: RMB 79,800 to RMB 103,800.

Seal 06 DM-i Smart Driving Edition: RMB 99,800 to RMB 139,800.

Seal 06 GT Smart Driving Edition: RMB 136,800 to RMB 186,800.

Seal 07 DM-i Smart Driving Edition: RMB 139,800 to RMB 195,800.

Seal Smart Driving Edition: RMB 175,800 to RMB 239,800.

Sealion 05 DM-i Smart Driving Edition: RMB 102,800 to RMB 132,800.

Song Plus DM-i Smart Driving Edition: RMB 135,800 to RMB 175,800.

Song Plus EV Smart Driving Edition: RMB 149,800 to RMB 175,800.

Sealion 07 EV Smart Driving Edition: RMB 189,800 to RMB 239,800.

BYD’s Dynasty lineup rolled out 10 Smart Driving Edition models, and here are their starting price ranges:

Second-generation Qin Plus DM-i Smart Driving Edition: RMB 79,800 to RMB 103,800.

Second-generation Qin Plus EV Smart Driving Edition: RMB 109,800 to RMB 129,800.

Qin L DM-i Smart Driving Edition: RMB 99,800 to RMB 139,800.

Song L DM-i Smart Driving Edition: RMB 135,800 to RMB 175,800.

Song L EV Smart Driving Edition: RMB 189,800 to RMB 249,800.

Song Pro DM-i Smart Driving Edition: RMB 102,800 to RMB 132,800.

Yuan Up Smart Driving Edition: RMB 99,800 to RMB 119,800.

Han DM-i Smart Driving Edition: RMB 168,800 to RMB 225,800.

Han EV Smart Driving Edition: RMB 179,800 to RMB 235,800.

Tang DM-i Smart Driving Edition: RMB 179,800 to RMB 219,800.

Yang Dongsheng, senior vice president of BYD Group and director of the automotive new technology research institute, said smart driving is one of the safety features, for which BYD has invested more than 5,000 engineers and gone through seven years of research and development.

To date, more than 4.4 million BYD vehicles are equipped with L2 and more powerful smart driving systems, and users have driven more than 3.7 billion kilometers assisted by the features, according to Yang.

He also announced that BYD’s hybrid DM vehicle platform and pure electric e platform were upgraded to Xuanji Architecture to support the God’s Eye C smart driving system.

BYD launched the Xuanji Architecture on January 16, 2024, as the core of its vehicle intelligence, saying at the time that it would invest RMB 100 billion in intelligence in the future.