SHENZHEN: Singapore is expected to get some smart driving features from Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD by next year at the latest, said Liu Xueliang, the general manager of BYD’s Asia Pacific auto sales division.
These features include automated parking, adaptive cruise control, and remote parking, which allow drivers to move or park their cars using a mobile phone. The system relies on cameras, radar and lidar sensors, with configurations based on different tiers.
Channel News Asia (CNA) reported that while BYD did not provide a specific timeline, the company said the technology may be introduced in phases, with some features made available earlier than others.
Mr Liu said BYD will need to test the technology on actual roads in various countries and adjust the algorithm first before launching it. He mentioned that drivers in each country have different habits, which the system must learn.
Mr Liu also noted that laws and regulations on self-driving features vary across countries. He said, “We respect the laws and regulations of any market and need to pass their rigorous certification system. When everything is mature, we will gradually push this to the market in the short term.”
In February, BYD, Singapore’s top-selling car brand, ahead of BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Tesla, announced it would add the “God’s Eye” self-driving feature to at least 21 of its models at the same price or even lower. The Seagull budget hatchback, priced from RMB69,800 (S$12,888), also includes this feature.
CNA reported that the company recently introduced new subsidies and incentives for over 20 models, bringing the Seagull’s price down to just US$7,800 (S$10,094).
Chinese EV makers Xpeng and Nio have rolled out smart features too, but each sold only around 100,000 to 200,000 cars last year—far behind BYD, which reported over 4.27 million vehicles sold in 2024.
Founder and managing director of global mobility consultancy Sino Auto Insights, Mr Tu Le, said BYD’s scale gives it a big advantage to “get better very fast”. He added that these capabilities are soon going to become standard. “It’s something that could be used all over the world within the next four or five years,” he said. /TISG
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