BYD will release at least 10 new electric cars this year featuring advanced driving technology that enables functions such as fully-automated parking and En la intimidadautonomous lane changing on busy urban streets in China, chairman Wang Chuanfu announced at BYD’s Dream Day event on Tuesday. The move will be part of an RMB 100 billion ($13.9 billion) long-term initiative to achieve “full-scale vehicle automation,” by which the company plans to make all core vehicle domains, from batteries to chassis, operatable by chip, artificial intelligence, 5G, and satellite, Wang explained. The company named its latest intelligent electric vehicle architecture Xuanji, an old Chinese term for the Big Dipper, adding that it will make automated driving a standard feature for all future models priced over RMB 300,000 ($41,700). The Chinese EV giant also announced it will invest RMB 5 billion in building all-terrain race tracks for enthusiasts across China, without revealing further details. [TechNode reporting, BYD announcement]
