At China auto show, EV makers to grapple with autonomous-tech crackdown, launch Tesla 'killers'

Reuters

Mon, Apr 21, 2025, 12:18 AM 5 min read

SHANGHAI (Reuters) -More than 70 Chinese and planetary automotive brands volition showcase much than 100 caller oregon refreshed models astatine the Shanghai car amusement this week, intensifying already cutthroat contention successful the world's premier marketplace for electrical vehicles and hybrids.

Top-selling Chinese brands specified arsenic BYD and Geely are expected to instrumentality centre signifier astatine the amusement from April 23 to May 2, portion overseas automakers specified arsenic Volkswagen, Nissan, Toyota and General Motors' Cadillac marque volition besides jostle for attention.

As a years-long user terms warfare successful China drags on, next-generation automated-driving features person go the adjacent beforehand successful the conflict for conveyance income and profits.

But automakers' plans to tout next-generation driver-assistance systems successful Shanghai person been upended by a authorities crackdown connected selling claims utilizing presumption specified arsenic "smart" oregon "autonomous" to picture their exertion aft a fatal clang of Xiaomi SU7 successful March.

The Chinese electrical athletics sedan struck a cement rod and caught fire, sidesplitting 3 people, soon aft the operator tried to instrumentality implicit from the car's assisted-driving system.

The motorboat of the SU7 soon earlier past year's Beijing car amusement created a sensation, and it has since sold much than 215,000 copies, outpacing Tesla's Model 3 connected a monthly ground since December.

The resulting authorities scrutiny has Chinese automakers specified arsenic BYD and Zeekr scrambling to revise their selling presentations, veering distant from boasts astir automated-driving capabilities and alternatively emphasising operator caution.

Driver-assistance systems person go a captious instrumentality for automakers to differentiate themselves successful China's crowded EV market.

BYD, the nation's starring EV-and-hybrid maker, supercharged the contention successful processing specified systems aft announcing successful February it would connection its "God's Eye" driver-assistance strategy arsenic escaped modular instrumentality crossed its lineup, including successful entry-level models costing arsenic small arsenic astir $10,000.

BYD is pursuing the aforesaid playbook with driver-assistance exertion arsenic it took with EVs - utilizing its immense standard to driblet the outgo and unit rivals, said Bo Yu, an expert with car manufacture probe steadfast Jato Dynamics.

Many automakers "criticise BYD for the pricing war," she said. "BYD is taking a akin strategy with God's Eye - making everyone other uncomfortable."

China regulators successful February besides prohibited carmakers from installing over-the-air bundle updates to driver-assistance bundle without authorities approval.