- BYD says it will fit its ‘God’s Eye’ driver-assist system to cars costing as little as $9,600.
- More than 20 models will benefit from smart driving tech, including the Seagull hatch.
- God’s Eye comes in three levels, the top two versions relying on Lidar sensors.
Not content with making electric power affordable in new cars for used-car money, BYD now wants to democratize driver-assist technology. The Chinese automaker launched today its new ‘God’s Eye’ systems, vowing to make them available on 21 models in China, right down to the Seagull SUV that costs the equivalent of under $10k.
The announcement made by CEO Wang Chuanfu at a live-streamed event doesn’t mean that BYD is about to unleash a full self-driving car for less than $10k because there are multiple versions of the “God’s Eye” tech suite and some are more advanced than others. But the brand’s determination to make the technology available in cars previously considered too cheap to warrant it is sure to have massive ramifications for the entire industry.
Related: BYD’s Seagull EV Now Costs Under $10k, The West Is Doomed
At least 21 BYD models will get God’s Eye, including every single car costing more than ¥X100,000 ($13,960), and some priced below that point, including the ¥69,800 ($9,550) Seagull, Car News China reports. The basic system is called God’s Eye C and relies on 12 cameras (three front-view, five panoramic, four surround-view) and 17 different radar sensors. This is heading for BYD-branded cars.
God’s Eye B is more advanced and includes a Lidar sensor. This mid-level system will find its way into some high-end BYD vehicles but is mostly intended for Denza and Fang Cheng Bao cars, according to the same report.
The top-flight ‘A’ version of God’s Eye gets three Lidars and is earmarked for BYD’s Yangwang brand, the one responsible for the U9 supercar that was last seen jumping over potholes in a promotional film. In a sequel to that absurd video, BYD showcased the power of the God’s Eye A tech by letting us watch a U9 rocket around a racetrack without a driver at the wheel.
The report says the God’s Eye C system supports navigation-based assistance only in motorway-type situations, but the A and B versions can also use their navigation systems to drive in cities. That’s something even Mercedes’ Level 3 Drive Pilot system, the most advanced ADAS in the West as far as regulators are concerned, can’t yet do. All versions will apparently be connected to the DeepSeek AI tech whose announcement sent Nvidia shares freefalling last month.
