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Hong Kong (CNN) — Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD has added an advanced driver-assistance system for most of its models at no additional cost, catapulting its shares to a record high.
Chinese customers can now experience the carmaker’s proprietary “God’s Eye” driver-assistance system in models that cost as little as 69,800 yuan ($9,555).
Analysts said the move could further fuel a brutal, ongoing price war in the world’s biggest car market.
Shares of BYD surged more than 4% to a record high, according to Refinitiv data, when trading in Hong Kong began on Tuesday. Its shares were last trading at 330 Hong Kong dollars ($42).
“2025 will be the first year of intelligent driving for all,” BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu said in an event from its headquarters in Shenzhen on Monday.
Wang predicted that high-level intelligent driving will become an essential feature in automobiles, much like seat belts and airbags, within the next three years.
Previously, the “God’s Eye” feature, introduced in 2023 to assist car navigation, was only offered in BYD models costing more than $30,000.
BYD ranked sixth in global car sales, with China’s Geely Auto following in tenth, Wang said onstage, citing research from Cailianshe, a state-linked media firm. It also dominated the Chinese market, accounting for over 32% of total new energy vehicle sales in 2024, according to China Passenger Car Association.
Tu Le, founder and managing director of the consultancy Sino Auto Insights, said BYD’s move “puts their competitors on their heels” because of the affordable pricing.
Tesla, BYD’s main rival, has released similar Full Self-Driving features in the US for a subscription fee of $99 a month or a one time payment of $8,000. It awaits regulatory approval to launch trials in the Chinese market.
Tesla may need to rethink its subscription-based strategy when entering China, Le added.
Besides Tesla, BYD’s announcement is expected to put pressure other Chinese competitors like Xpeng and Geely Auto, whose shares dropped on Tuesday.
At Monday’s event, the company also announced its plan to integrate DeepSeek, the AI model from a Chinese startup that made global headlines last month with a high-performing chatbot that rivals OpenAI’s ChatGPT, into BYD cars.
BYD is known for its aggressive pricing strategy. The price war, sparked by Tesla two years ago, has become so intense that BYD asked its suppliers late last year to deliver hefty price reductions of 10% for the coming year.
The-CNN-Wire
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