BEIJING: Shares in Chinese automaker BYD jumped on Tuesday after it unveiled plans to unroll advanced self-driving techno­­logy on nearly all its cars, including budget models priced below $10,000.

The company also said it would integrate AI startup Deepseek’s software into its cars, following domestic peers such as Geely, Great Wall Motors, and Leapmotor.

BYD is Tesla’s biggest rival in China and increasingly abroad, and Monday evening’s announcement led analysts to suggest a new price war might be on the horizon.

BYD will install its autonomous driving system in at least 21 models, including the Seagull budget hatchback priced from 69,800 yuan ($9,550). The system includes features such as remote parking and autonomous highway navigation previously found on more expensive vehicles. Tesla has similar features available in its EVs priced from $32,000.

“Autonomous driving is no longer a remote rarity, it’s a… necessary tool,” BYD founder Wang Chuanfu said at a livestreamed event on Monday.

Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2025