• BYD’s God’s Eye ADAS brings autonomous driving to all segments, making it accessible even in entry-level cars.
• BYD’s in-house SoC and strategic partnerships with NVIDIA and Horizon Robotics enable a cost-effective ADAS solution, which will also intensify market competition, especially in China.
• Global adoption of God’s Eye ADAS might face hurdles due to regulatory issues in some regions.

BYD Auto recently unveiled its new self-driving system called the God’s Eye. The company says it will integrate the solution across all of its models, including its subsidiary brands like Denza, Fangcheng Bao and Yangwang. The smart chipset used in God’s Eye is fully developed by BYD, while the computer platform is sourced from NVIDIA and Horizon Robotics.

How BYD is democratizing ADAS adoption in China

BYD outperformed its biggest EV rival Tesla in Q4 2024 in terms of global deliveries, according to Counterpoint’s Global Passenger Vehicle Model Sales Tracker. Given the features of each distinct tier of the God’s Eye autonomous system, BYD will position God’s Eye A for its premium vehicles (Yangwang U9) to compete in the self-driving segment. God’s Eye B will be implemented on vehicles positioned to compete in the mid-tier segment against competitors like Leapmotor, Xiaomi, HIMA, Tesla, Nio, Xpeng, Li Auto and IM Motors.

With God’s Eye C, BYD is expected to disrupt the budget segment as it will be introduced in the Seagull, an entry-level model starting from 69,800yuan ($9,555). In comparison, BYD’s previous Level 2 ADAS vehicles started at 216,000 yuan ($30,000). Currently, the cheapest model with Level 2 ADAS is the Leapmotor B10 at 109,800 yuan ($15,140). BYD offering God’s Eye C across all its entry and budget segment models without any additional cost is revolutionary not just for the Chinese auto industry but also for the global auto industry.

BYD’s strategy to develop an in-house SoC for its God’s Eye solution while partnering with NVIDIA and Horizon Robotics for a computer platform has resulted in a cost-effective ADAS solution for entry-level cars costing less than $10,000. Given the strong competitive landscape in China for EVs, BYD’s move is likely to intensify the price war in the market. It will also create pressure on the competitors to provide ADAS solutions in budget and entry-level vehicles, which in turn will accelerate ADAS adoption in China.

Global impact of BYD’s God’s Eye ADAS

Though currently meant for China, BYD has ambitious plans to offer God’s Eye in Southeast Asia, particularly in Thailand, and other overseas markets.

In 2024, over 10% of BYD’s sales came from exports, with Latin America, Europe and Southeast Asia jointly accounting for nearly 80% share. With BYD’s growing presence in these regions, it is expected that its vehicles exported in the near future will also get God’s Eye ADAS features. However, more stringent autonomy regulations in regions like Europe, parts of the Middle East and Africa (MEA) and Latin America are likely to delay the launch of the system there. BYD will have to tailor the features to regulations in these regions.

Southeast Asia’s ride-hailing giant Grab has recently partnered with BYD to add 50,000 EVs to its fleet covering six SEA countries. With this, it can be expected that Grab may start leveraging BYD’s technology at one point to run its ride-hailing service. This will also enhance BYD’s presence in the SEA region.