BYD, the Chinese automaker, unveiled its new autonomous driving system called "God's Eye" at an event in Shenzhen. The company, one of the largest electric vehicle manufacturers in the world, has announced that it will install this autonomous system in all of its models.
According to Saednews, quoting from Donya-e-Eqtesad, God's Eye is fully developed by BYD and adds features like automatic parking and remote parking to the car. This system also controls the vehicle on both city roads and highways without the need for a driver, with the driver only needing to stay alert on the road.
God's Eye uses a combination of twelve cameras, five radars, and twelve ultrasonic sensors to monitor the surroundings of the car. The radar system can track the area up to 300 meters in front of the vehicle. In BYD's luxury models, sold under the name "Denza," a laser radar is added, and in the more luxurious models sold under the name "Yangwang," three laser radars are added to the God's Eye system.
Most of the features that God's Eye provides to drivers are at level 2 autonomy and are not new; however, they were previously only offered in luxury vehicles. BYD has announced that it will offer God's Eye in all models priced above 100,000 yuan ($13,700). Three models with lower prices will also be equipped with this system. The BYD Seal, priced at 70,000 yuan ($9,600), is the cheapest model that will be equipped with God's Eye.
Wang Chuanfu, CEO of BYD, said at the unveiling ceremony: "We are entering an era where autonomous driving will be available to everyone." Mr. Chuanfu predicted that within two to three years, autonomous systems, such as seat belts and airbags, will be standard in all vehicles. Research by "S&P Global Mobility" showed that in the last year, 8.5% of vehicles in China were equipped with level 2 autonomous features. A survey by EY also revealed that Chinese buyers are more willing than those in Europe and the U.S. to spend money on new technologies.
In recent years, BYD has rapidly grown into one of the leading car manufacturers globally. The company is a major competitor to Tesla in the electric vehicle market and has started a large-scale plan to enter global markets, including Europe. However, the lack of autonomous driving features had been one of the company’s weaknesses. Market analysts predict that the introduction of God's Eye in BYD's affordable models will force competitors to sell their products at more significant discounts. They believe this will intensify the price war in the Chinese car market in the coming months.
