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China’s Electric Vehicles (EVs)
Roewe D7. Source
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chinese Auto Quality is Outstanding
China’s EV Overcapacity and Secret Desire to Dominate the World
Automobiles and Mobile Phones
BYD Electric Cars
Huawei
Xiaomi
MG – Rover
Geely – Lotus and Proton Cars
Volvo Electric Cars
Aston-Martin
Apple Bites the Dust
Tesla May be on the Way Out, too
Autonomous Driving Systems
Introduction
As recently as the early 1990s, China’s domestic auto industry had stale designs, not much modern technology, with reliability and durability only just acceptable. It was at this point that China’s government began a deep assessment of all domestic transportation, both public and private. The public transportation would be solved with high-speed trains and vast metro systems, but the private portion also required extensive evaluation.
There were many problems. First, the existing state and condition of China’s domestic auto industry, entirely gasoline-fueled autos at the time, would require enormous attention and investment to become modern and satisfactory. But China’s leaders concluded that this development would be a race to nowhere. There seemed to be little room for a revolution in the design or manufacture of gasoline-powered autos, the private automobile more or less having reached the end of its evolutionary potential. Also, the Western countries had a head start of perhaps 100 years in designing and manufacturing gasoline-fueled automobiles. With an enormous investment in time, resources and money, and depending entirely on their own IP, China could eventually produce autos that might be “as good as” those in the West, but not likely superior in any significant respect, meaning that with its best efforts China would join the world of the average. It would have been possible to eventually match the quality of brands like Mercedes or BMW, but the cachet and respect of those brands would require many decades to equal. And the highest level of autos like Ferrari, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce were in a class of their own and would likely never be matched, at least not in reputation. This would leave China in a position of making simple high-quality autos for the masses, but perhaps not much more.
Another was the issue of fuel. China’s domestic oil production is insufficient for its own needs, and thus imports most of its oil and petroleum products, which leaves the nation open to nasty surprises by foreign governments and those who control most of the multi-national oil companies. And, since the West was correctly seen as untrustworthy, there was the constant possibility that unpleasant political developments would leave China open to supply disruptions, especially with the US harboring plans to blockade the ocean straits through which most oil was transported to China. In addition, there was the potential problem of political pressure being exerted on countries selling oil to China and, finally, the price of oil was certain to increase and was in any case determined largely by foreign caprice and whim. Hydrogen had been touted as a potential auto fuel, but that development was still far in the future. There was nothing in this area that was positive.
Further, China’s leaders were concerned that as the nation developed and hundreds of millions of Chinese would be driving automobiles, the only sensible hope for a privately-mobile China would rest in what we call “new energy” vehicles. We couldn’t have 1.5 billion Chinese driving gasoline-powered cars since the resultant pollution would eventually kill everyone.
Looking into the future, China’s leaders concluded that, for the above and other reasons, electric vehicles represented the future of private ground transportation. This was the decision that was made and, while it may have seemed a gamble at the time, all indications are that China read the signs correctly. The country made this conclusion 30 years ago, and began to invest major resources into R&D and to planning the supply chains that would be necessary to support what would become a true revolution in the private auto industry. China simply abandoned gasoline-powered autos and turned all its attention to the next evolutionary step which was electric automobiles, and one where no nation had yet achieved any significant measure of development.
Another factor in this equation is that there existed an enormous resistance among the Western auto manufacturers to turning from gasoline to electricity. The publics in all nations were wildly in favor of electric automobiles, but the entrenched interests in the oil industry and auto manufacturing were unmoved by public interest or social and environmental benefits. The move to electric automobiles represented an existential threat to both auto manufacturing and petroleum industries, and these Western corporations vigorously, and to an altogether criminal extent, did everything possible to prevent the transition of private transportation from gasoline to electricity. They thus left themselves vulnerable to being entirely sidelined in the future – a situation which certainly came to pass – with the West now so far behind that they have little hope of ever obtaining a leading position in auto manufacture.
The result was predictable: China today is at the forefront of the global electric vehicle industry. Chinese manufacturers produce about 65% of the world’s EVs and more than 75% of EV batteries. China is the world’s largest market for electric vehicles (EVs), with millions of units sold annually, and more than half of all the electric vehicles worldwide are on China’s roads. None of China’s EV success was an accident; it was the result of decisions made 30 years ago, decisions that were acted upon and provided with all the resources necessary to bring the plans to fruition.
As an aside, it is essentially the same with China’s high-speed trains (HSR); today the media carry numerous articles lauding China’s 50,000 kilometers of high-speed rail, having suddenly awakened to the fact that China has more HSR track and trains than the rest of the world combined. And further that China’s trains are the fastest, the highest-quality and by far the most stable and quiet – and the least expensive, of all trains in the world. This also did not happen overnight. As with China’s EVs, it was the result of decisions taken 30 years ago and supported by an enormous investment in R&D and planning.
Chinese Auto Quality is Outstanding
Chinese EVs are recognized worldwide as outstanding in terms of both design and quality, and Chinese prices are unmatched. It is almost legendary that visitors to every auto show express astonishment and appreciation at the high quality of Chinese EVs.
As one quality measure, in a recent 8-year period, China had 170 auto recalls by joint venture manufacturers and foreign brands, with Mercedes, Toyota, Honda and Nissan doing most of the recalls. Of about 9 million recalled cars, about 7 million were Japanese; one million American and one million European. By contrast, China’s domestic brands – of which there are many – had only 7 recalls in those years, involving only about 200,000 autos.
By another measure, in one year about 19 million autos were sold in China, with 80 recalls involving 2 million vehicles. In the same year 13 million autos were sold in the US, with more than 600 recalls involving 15 million vehicles – almost all being American brands. China has far fewer recalls compared to the US car market, though in some part this is true because foreign automakers are masters at ‘misreading’ China’s laws and regulations, using those misunderstandings to evade consumers’ claims. Japanese automakers Toyota, Honda and Nissan often exclude the Chinese market when recalling faulty models in other countries, and the Americans are known to do the same. [1] The truth is that China’s auto manufacturers, most especially with EVs, have noticeably surpassed both the international mass market brands and also the “premium” brands. [2]
China’s EV Overcapacity and Desire to Dominate the World
First, the Bad News
The Western media have been lambasting China’s EV makers for their “overcapacity”, for flooding the world with inexpensive EVs and “disrupting international trade”.
Edited quotes from Manufacturing Today: “China has rapidly evolved to a global leader in electric vehicles (EVs). This shift is causing alarm in Europe and the US due to China’s significant ‘industrial overcapacity’, the “repercussions of an oversupply” that “disrupts global markets” at the expense of local industries. This overcapacity is driven by substantial government subsidies and incentives, with supply far outpacing domestic demand. China controls 60% of global EV production and over 70% of lithium battery production. Since domestic consumption is unable to absorb this, the surplus is exported at highly competitive prices, which undercuts local manufacturers in the EU and the US. These cheap exports have sparked growing concerns in the West, where local manufacturers are struggling to compete. China’s state subsidies have distorted global competition in the EV sector. An EV in China can cost half as much as one sold in Europe, largely due to government backing.” [3]
But it’s even much worse than this. Carnewschina.com tells us that Chinese EV factories run on only a 5.1% capacity. Holy smokes. You know that has to be bad. Not only that, but they tell us that “By 2025, China’s EV market will reach 5.3 million cars while the production capacity will be 36.61 million vehicles.” Thus, “China’s EV production capacity is currently in colossal waste”. [4] Wow. I guess it must be.
And Then the Facts
But what is “over-capacity”? It is the ability to produce more than you can sell. If you have a factory that can produce one million items a year but you can sell only 300,000, you have over-capacity. But if you can sell the entire million, your capacity is exactly where it should be. In 2024, China produced 31.3 million vehicles and sold 31.4 million. That’s almost perfect.
But there’s more. Volkswagen exports millions of vehicles. Does that mean they have “over-capacity”? Not at all. They are simply doing what every manufacturer does: sell as many as you can, wherever you can. The Ivory Coast exports all of its cocoa each year. Does it have “over-capacity”? Of course not. The world would like to have more cocoa than it has now. So, what is happening here? The powers behind the Western media are trying to tell us that if China exports anything, that represents over-capacity, in fact making exports immoral and unfair. But this isn’t about immoral and unfair, and it isn’t about right and wrong; it’s about “us” vs “them”. If we do it, it’s praiseworthy, but if they do it, it’s evil. And that’s the whole story.
It is the same with “dominating the world“. Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes export millions of autos. Are they trying to dominate the world? There’s no sign of it. France exports millions of bottles of wine every year. Are the French farmers trying to dominate the world? I don’t think so. China exports millions of Kgs. of tea. Are China’s tea growers trying to dominate the world? If so, they’re keeping it a secret. But if BYD exports millions of EVs, they are doing it to dominate the world. Again, what is happening here? It is still “us” vs “them”. If I export and you can’t compete, and I push you into bankruptcy, that’s just business, but if you export and I can’t compete, you are “harming my interests” and are evil and should be sanctioned, punished, and discredited. Again, that’s the whole story.
And, just so it doesn’t go unsaid, who are the world leaders in receiving government subsidies? Boeing and Airbus. These two companies have been in and out of court for at least the past 20 years, defending themselves against charges of unfair government subsidies. US President Trump is proposing to spend $500 billion on AI funding for OpenAI, Nvidia and others. Is that a subsidy? Of course it is. Every government helps to fund fledgling companies in nascent industries, and there is nothing immoral about that. But the main point is that the accusers of China are by far the worst sinners. It is legendary that every accusation by the West about China, is a confession.
Mobile Phones
It seems strange that there might be any connection between these two industries, much less a synergy, especially since the auto industry is renowned for its high start-up costs, but there is a synergy indeed. Major mobile phone manufacturers in several countries turned their attention to automobiles, the Chinese in particular having achieved spectacular successes. Both Huawei and Xiaomi are already deeply into the EV market and their models have proven hugely popular. Another Chinese mobile phone brand, Oppo (the world’s fourth-largest brand), has partnered with BYD to integrate its smartphone technology within BYD’s auto systems, permitting the control of BYD electric vehicles from the Oppo smartphone. [5] It’s interesting that Oppo had finalised plans to manufacture its own cars, but then decided on a joint venture with BYD instead. [6] Similarly, the Chinese phone brand Vivo has joined forces with Volkswagen to accomplish similar results. [7]
Elon Musk took some cheap shots on Twitter at the Chinese smartphone firms entering the auto market, saying that “Prototypes are easy, production is hard”, [8] and making a stunning fool of himself when the Huawei and Xiaomi EVs exploded on the Chinese market. Musk also denigrated BYD as inconsequential in the EV world, only to wake up the next morning to discover that BYD was the largest EV manufacturer in the world, with sales outstripping Tesla, and with levels of quality and consumer attraction both significantly higher than with the Tesla product. Musk has been thankfully silent on BYD and Chinese EVs ever since.
As one publication noted, “Digital convenience is fast becoming as prized as horsepower once was. This merger of mobility and mobile tech is a natural next step in our increasingly connected environment”. And this seems to be a case of the tail wagging the dog, in that the mobile phone technology appears to be the most important element in this tech synergy. It appears that EV manufacturers are not just selling cars any more, but are increasingly creating an integrated digital world. Both the automakers and phone companies are crossing industrial lines and creating very new industry combinations that were unimagined only a few years prior.
It seems that the new generation of automobiles – EVs – is becoming saturated with precisely the kinds of technology the smartphone companies have been researching and applying for years. Moreover, it is beginning to appear that EV autos are essentially a “simple platform”, while this digital technology is the driver of future development. Worthy of note is that Volkswagen, among other Western auto manufacturers, attracted substantial public criticism, not for their cars but for the inadequate and malfunctioning digital tech systems. This means the transportation element is taking second place to the digital portion. It isn’t only a mobile phone’s inner technology, but the prospect of integrating phone and auto, with much of the control and operation residing in the phone. Some Chinese EV manufacturers have attempted to create their own versions of mobile phone, primarily it seems, to offer an integrated product. We seem to be approaching the position where EV and mobile phone are a blended and coordinated unit sold as a package.
And it isn’t only smartphone companies getting into the act. The Chinese internet search giant Baidu announced plans in 2021 to establish an EV manufacturing company, in part through a partnership with Geely. Part of the attraction, and the supposed synergy, is that Baidu owns many related core technologies, including its Apollo autonomous driving system, its voice assistant for Apollo and Baidu Maps, and its own forays into AI. Baidu believes it can reshape “intelligent vehicles” and help to energise a transportation revolution. It’s new EV is already in production and has sold hundreds of thousands, this for a car with no steering wheel.
An interior shot of Baidu’s new robotaxi. The steering wheel is detachable, and will be removed once the company receives approval from authorities, according to a company executive. Source
Here is one graphic illustrating the respective sales of some Chinese EV brands. The most notable fact being BYD’s enormous lead over everyone – including Tesla. However, the sales landscape is forever changing because sales of the smaller brands can change markedly by month. [9]
Nov 2024 Sales. Source.
There are many other Chinese participants in this new sector. Nio, X-peng and Li Auto have already entered the EV market, and are experiencing good sales. X-Peng is particularly noteworthy for its excellent autonomous flying taxi which is already in production in China and experiencing both domestic and international sales. Further, the E-commerce giant Alibaba formed a joint venture with Shanghai’s SAIC Motors to produce smart EVs, and the ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing is building smart cars in partnership with BYD. As a point of note, it is now possible to call an autonomous (driverless) taxi in many Chinese cities.
BYD Electric Cars
BYD Sedan. Source.
BYD is China’s largest EV manufacturer, and has surpassed all the long-established manufacturers in terms of appearance, quality and price. It has also surpassed Tesla. In 2022, BYD made the bold decision to cease production of internal combustion engine models and focus all its attention on all-electric vehicles and a few hybrid models. [10] BYD was the world’s biggest seller of pure electric cars by the end of 2024, assisted by the fact that Tesla’s sales fell substantially short of expectations. BYD beat Tesla by more than 20 per cent in terms of deliveries. [11] The company makes some truly beautiful cars that are very affordable.
BYD Supercar
BYD U9-4jpg. Photo courtesy BYD
In 2024 BYD launched its first pure electric supercar model, the Yangwang U9. As the China Daily noted, “The U9 can accelerate from zero to 100 km/hour in 2.36 seconds and has a top speed of 309.19 km/hour, rivaling products from Lamborghini and Ferrari.” [12] This car is not cheap. It costs 1.7 million RMB, nearly US$250,000, but is powered by some core technologies that the company says “revolutionise the pure electric supercar segment”. BYD has so far delivered nearly 10,000 of these supercars. [13]
Huawei
A typical Huawei store: mobile phones, laptop computers, and cars. Photo Credit: author
Huawei is convinced that in some Chinese cities, four in 10 cars will be autonomous by 2030. To enable this seismic shift in transportation, the company invests about US$1 billion annually in research and development related to autonomous driving technologies. [14]
Huawei M9-2. Source.
Huawei is one of China’s “mobile phone” companies that progressed from smart phones to smart cars, and with outstanding success. The company’s new AITO M9 SUV sold more than 10,000 units within 2 hours of its launch, a testimony to the trust the Chinese public have in Huawei. [15]
This particular vehicle is a scientific marvel. The body is made of the world’s largest one-piece die-casting technology, and the vehicle is covered with aluminum alloy, making the car super lightweight. The car uses nuclear submarine-grade steel in many different places, making it especially tough and corrosion-resistant. The pure electric version has dual motors – front and rear, and features a Huawei XHUD head-up display system. It also offers car-home interconnectivity, and even a small refrigerator. It uses Huawei’s Whale 800V high-voltage battery with a durability of 150km in 5 minutes of charging. Yet, and has proven a battery life of 630km under tests in China. [16]
Huawei AITO M9 SUV interior. Source
Xiaomi
Xiaomi models. Source.
As a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chinese electronics manufacturer Xiaomi Corporation, Xiaomi Automobile was founded on Sept 1, 2021 in Beijing. At the same time, Xiaomi became the world’s No.2 smartphone maker by shipments. [17]
Xiaomi SU7-2. Source.
For the SU7, Xiaomi mobilised 3,400 engineers for the first car, with total R&D investment exceeding CNY10 billion. The Xiaomi car super factory is highly intelligent, with large die casting, stamping, body connections and other key processes all fully automated, incorporating over 700 robots, including automatic inspections and AMR autonomous movements, etc. When production is fully activated, a new car can be manufactured every 76 seconds on average.[18]
The good performance and fast acceleration of Xiaomi’s SU7 have received repeated and consistent praise from test drivers who claim “The appearance is undeniably beautiful, and it drives like a BMW without any frustration”. [19] Demand for the car is apparently overwhelming.
MG-Rover
Roewe Models. Source.
The 100-year history of MG-Rover is long and confused, and I won’t dwell on it here. In 2005-2006, Shanghai Automotive (SAIC) and Nanjing Motors collectively purchased this UK auto group, SAIC getting some Rover models and engine rights, with Nanjing taking the remainder. SAIC swallowed Nanjing Motors about ten years later, so all these models are now in the same basket. In its day, Rover in the UK was a mid-range brand while the MG was famous more for its small sports cars. Under Chinese leadership, MG is still making lovely sports cars, albeit more expensive ones, while Rover offers many models, starting with a mini (Clever) at around US$7,000. The US-based Ford Motor Company exercised its right to purchase the Rover brand name, so the auto has been re-branded as Roewe in China. The quality, range and performance appear to be quite high within both the MG and Roewe brands; most taxis in Shanghai are Roewe, and the drivers seem pleased with them.
Roewe Clever. A US$7,000 gift. Source.
MG Cyberster
MG Cyberster. Source.
The featured MG is of course the Cyberster, its new creation of a GT convertible sports car. However, this model is far removed from the original lines of the MG-TD, MG-A and MG-B, that were easily affordable. The electric Cyberster is roughly equivalent to a Porsche Carrera in terms of performance, and with a price to match. [20][21] Here is a 3-D video you may care to watch: [22]
MG Sedan. Source.
MG also manufactures electric sedans and SUVs, all of which are high-quality, attractive, and apparently doing well. [23][24] The MG sedans are electric also, but more conventional in design and price.
Geely – Lotus and Proton Cars
Lotus. Source.
China’s largest independent auto manufacturer bought much of the Malaysian auto firm Proton, acquiring Britain’s Lotus Cars in the process. Proton bought Lotus in 1996 but has struggled ever since, and the inclusion of these two brands with the immense resources of Geely, will likely produce success for all of them. As Top Gear [25] noted, “Volvo has been owned by Geely this past seven-plus years, and has flourished and remained master of its own destiny.” [26]
Road and Track wrote that Proton’s offerings have been “hopelessly outdated”, and the brand is “ready for a comeback”. The writers believed Proton and Lotus were both much better served by having access to Geely’s “vast engineering resources” [27] and that Geely would benefit from access to large auto markets in SE Asia where only Japanese brands seemed to thrive. [28]
Volvo electric cars
Volvo electric cars. Source.
Initially (and still) a Swedish company, the Volvo auto division was sold to the Ford Motor company in the US in 1999. About ten years later, Ford was in serious financial trouble and sold Volvo to China’s Geely, the proceeds from the sale injecting enough cash into Ford to stave off bankruptcy. [29] Volvo’s marriage with Geely has been a happy one. The website Top Gear wrote that “Volvo has been owned by Geely [these past] years, and has flourished and remained master of its own destiny. [30] In 2020, Geely and Volvo merged some of their operations; CGTN wrote an article covering the salient points (Why a merger with Volvo makes sense for Geely). [31]
Volvo is essentially a premium brand, with unit selling prices of its fully electric models ranging beyond US$80,000. Volvo has for decades been a leader in automotive safety, and is renowned for its many safety features not found on other autos. Volvo invented seat belts for cars, in 1959, and let other automakers implement them free of patent or royalty fees, giving the world a free safety solution. [32] This company has also made some classic cars that are still in high demand after 60 years or more; the Volvo P-1800 is one example. Many of their advertisements are also classic, and were very well-received by the public. Do a search for “famous Volvo advertisements”.
Aston-Martin
Aston-Martin 1. Source.
Geely has also purchased another large stake in the high-performance realm, this one with the British Aston-Martin brand. Under Geely’s leadership, the firm intends that every model will be available with an electrified powertrain by 2026. Aston-Martin plans to launch the first electric model in the company’s history by 2025. [33][34]
Apple Bites the Dust
However, not every aspirant is successful in this futuristic market, with Apple being one of the more outstanding failures. Apple had thousands of people working secretly for ten years to develop the Apple iCar, code-named “Project Titan”, but finally abandoned the project and took the losses. [35]I think we can legitimately ask where were the fabled American ingenuity, entrepreneurship and all the other good words. We are told repeatedly that “China cannot innovate”, but Chinese mobile phone companies have created and marketed very high-quality EVs, with excellent sales, and yet the famed American Apple failed at the same task.
As far back as 2020 and 2021, the media were already publishing stories on the Apple Car’s “irrelevance” and suggesting the project would eventually die – which it did. One periodical wrote, “Apple’s car, if it ever arrives, will be electric and feature many of the same benefits that Tesla owners enjoy, with over-the-air updates, automated systems, and remote management. Previous estimates of when Apple’s EV might launch placed it five-to-seven years in the future, somewhat equivalent to ‘someday.’ So far, delays have pushed this project nearly to the point of irrelevance.” [36]
Apple invested ten years and billions of dollars, and had around 2,000 employees, in this secretive project. [37] According to media reports at the time, the end result of this clandestine “Project Titan” was to develop a fully autonomous car, without pedals or steering wheel. Apple was going to “change the world”. But then among the leaks of information came the news that many executives abandoned the project and resigned, no doubt recognizing the futility that awaited them.
And in this context, it wasn’t only Apple that floundered. Quite a few US EV hopefuls have backed down or backed out, blaming the actions on “slow demand” rather than admitting that US consumers were unwilling to pay astronomical prices for substandard products. Google and its “parent” Alphabet have failed badly with their autonomous cars as have Cruise and others. However, when we look at Google’s Waymo drone delivery system, we shouldn’t be surprised their EVs are similarly useless.
But the Americans put a brave face on everything. Apple’s necessary abandonment of the Apple car was merely “a modest disappointment”, providing Apple with a new incentive for “a laser focus” to “ramp up and execute a broad AI strategy” within “the Apple ecosystem”. I wish them luck.
Tesla May be on the Way Out, too
Tesla in China is facing considerable difficulties, not least with sales plummeting by double-digits and warning of “slower growth” ahead. [38] As one measure, in January 2025, Tesla’s sales in China dropped by 11.5% while BYD’s sales soared by nearly 50%.[39] In fact, within two months, Tesla’s sales dropped from nearly 95,000 to only about 65,000. It was interesting that Tesla sales crashed in Europe by around 65% – while BYD is thriving in Europe as well as in China. It was even more interesting that the media couldn’t decide if the staggering drop in Europe was caused by Tesla’s failed new models or due to Europe’s intense dislike for Elon Musk.[40]
From recent media reports in the Wall Street Journal [41] and many other news sources, Musk and Tesla seems more interested in making profits from Bitcoin than from EV sales. [42] Perhaps that’s where Musk and Tesla belong. Tesla’s only other source of profit was in selling emission credits: selling autos somehow didn’t even appear on the income statement. [43]
I suppose this is mostly personal preference, but when I look at the photo below of a Tesla and BYD side by side, the Tesla seems ugly to me, obese and poorly-designed. With the large selection of genuinely attractive Chinese EVs, and with their huge quality advantage, to say nothing of the attractive prices, I can’t see why anyone would want to buy an overpriced Tesla. Compare this BYD to the homely and repulsive Tesla.
BYD and Tesla. Source.
Autonomous Driving Systems
BYD has one of the most, if not the most, highly-advanced driver-assistance (autonomous) systems available in automobiles today. Certainly, it is second to none. The company believes that within a few years, high-level intelligent driving will become an essential feature in automobiles, much like seat belts and airbags. BYD’s system, known as “God’s Eye” was developed in-house with entirely Chinese IP, and possesses abilities such as remote parking via smartphones and autonomous overtaking on roads, features that are normally included only on expensive models. [44]
You likely have read of the emergence of China’s AI DeepSeek that threw a wrench into the world of AI by offering its exceptional model as open-source and free of charge. Among other results, that act sent Nvidia’s stock plummeting by $US600 billion, the greatest single loss in US stock market history. BYD did something similar to the self-driving software for electric autos, by announcing that it would now include this software in all of its models – even for cars costing less than $US10,0000 – at no additional cost. [45]
The effect on other EV manufacturers was not small, and this action did the Tesla stock no favors, the share price immediately falling by 5%. [46] Multiple observers have said BYD’s move “puts their competitors on their heels” because of the affordable pricing. And that’s true. Other EV manufacturers already have a difficult time competing with BYD, and this move will force them to include their autonomous software as a standard feature. The benefits to society and to road safety are obvious.
Compare this attitude to that of Tesla, who have declared autonomous software as a premium proprietary item, and will install their self-driving features only for owners who agree to pay a fee of $99 a month or a one-time payment of $8,000. This is not different than refusing to install seat belts or air bags without an unconscionable fee. There is no thought here of the overall good of the motoring public, nor the social benefits from such systems. Tesla’s (and Elon Musk’s) only priority is to bleed the public, much as OpenAI did with the high subscription rates with their ChatGPT.
BYD’s autos are banned in the US, so this won’t directly affect Tesla there, but Tesla will have to rethink its fee-based strategy elsewhere or risk even steeper downfalls in sales.
BYD’s God’s Eye system comprises three distinct tiers: [47]
God’s Eye A – DiPilot 600 (Triple-LiDAR advanced intelligent driving) for YANGWANG models.
God’s Eye B – DiPilot 300 (LiDAR-based advanced intelligent driving) for DENZA and select BYD models.
God’s Eye C – DiPilot 100 (Triple-camera advanced intelligent driving) for BYD-branded vehicles.
Despite all the hype by Tesla about their autonomous features, it appears that BYD’s systems are superior to those of Tesla in most or all respects. It is Tesla that is off-balance, not BYD or other Chinese manufacturers, and Tesla will not only have to significantly improve its software but offer it for free on all models if it wants to compete in China – and in most countries outside the US. My personal assessment is that Tesla is going downhill and will remain there.
It is important that knowledgeable observers have stated flatly that the BYD system is better than Tesla’s, better capability in the city and a safer and more capable system for highway driving. BYD also has phone-controlled parking and the other small features that Tesla boasts. [48] Tesla doesn’t even offer the highest level of autonomous operation that BYD has, nor even a match for the second level, but there is more:
One website stated “What’s perhaps particularly notable is that BYD was able to figure out how to have lidar and radar play nicely with cameras for maximum safety. Lidar is “light detection and ranging,” a remote-sensing technology that uses laser beams to measure precise distances and movement in an environment, in real time. [49] BYD has been able to very successfully integrate lidar, radar, and cameras for a much superior safety and performance result. Tesla could not.
It is of considerable importance to emphasise that Tesla abandoned both Lidar and Radar, claiming its cars were better off without them, but those claims are false. According to my sources, Tesla abandoned radar and lidar because the firm supplying Tesla’s self-driving software, the Jewish-Israel firm Mobileye, was unable to produce working software without serious flaws. Elon Musk and Tesla had no choice but to discontinue use of those sensors due to the grave safety risks in the software. The claim that Tesla’s cars are better off without both lidar and radar appears to be Elon Musk burying the facts of a huge failure.
Also of considerable importance is that BYD’s total workforce exceeded 900,000 at the beginning of 2025, and more than 110,000 of that number was engineers engaged in R&D, making it the automaker with the largest R&D staff in the world.[50][51] In the middle of 2024, BYD said that of the more than 50,000 college graduates recently hired, 70% had master’s or doctoral degrees and 80% were research and development personnel. No other auto company in the world can match BYD’s dedication to research and quality. This is the reason BYD’s autonomous software was internally developed.
Tesla, with their serious lack of R&D and engineers, had to purchase their autonomous software from what appears to be essentially a group of Jewish “hackers” in Israel. From my research, Mobileye appeared far more interested in creating and selling “remote control” systems for autos (think FBI, CIA, NSA, MI5, IDF) than about driving safety. As an example, one of the attractions touted when the Mobileye software became public knowledge was that the FBI could remotely disable all the automobiles in an area where citizens might be driving to participate in public protests. My assessment of Mobileye’s auto software was that it was primarily designed to accommodate fascist governments in population suppression. I would say there is also a high degree of certainty that it was Mobileye software that led to some very suspicious “accidents” causing the deaths of various investigative journalists and whistle-blowers in the past decade. Think of Michael Hastings. [52]
Further to this, Tesla is experiencing insurmountable obstacles in implementing its autonomous driving software in China, ostensibly due to “its heavy reliance on central coding of images” (read “spying” and “privacy violations”), but these obstacles may be more due to the clandestine (and psychotic) forms of remote control designed into Mobileye’s systems. In my E-book “False Flags and Conspiracy Theories”, [53] you might care to read Section 9.3. Automobile Remote Control. It discusses this entire issue in some detail, and includes related references to Tesla and Mobileye.
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Mr. Romanoff’s writing has been translated into 34 languages and his articles posted on more than 150 foreign-language news and politics websites in more than 30 countries, as well as more than 100 English language platforms. Larry Romanoff is a retired management consultant and businessman. He has held senior executive positions in international consulting firms, and owned an international import-export business. He has been a visiting professor at Shanghai’s Fudan University, presenting case studies in international affairs to senior EMBA classes. Mr. Romanoff lives in Shanghai and is currently writing a series of ten books generally related to China and the West. He is one of the contributing authors to Cynthia McKinney’s new anthology ‘When China Sneezes’. (Chap. 2 — Dealing with Demons).
His full archive can be seen at
https://www.bluemoonofshanghai.com/ + https://www.moonofshanghai.com/
He can be contacted at: 2186604556@qq.com
*
Additional Reading
Americans and Automobiles: Capitalism and Propaganda (Revisited)
The Fraudulent Foreign Auto Industry in China
Americans and Automobiles: Capitalism and Propaganda
Western Price-Gouging in China
*
NOTES – China EVs
[1] The Fraudulent Foreign Auto Industry in China
https://www.bluemoonofshanghai.com/politics/5701/
[2] Chinese carmakers catch up in vehicle quality
https://govt.chinadaily.com.cn/s/202409/06/WS66daea8c498ed2d7b7eb8e9f/chinese-carmakers-catch-up-in-vehicle-quality.html
[3] The EU and US Challenge China’s Overcapacity in Electric Vehicles and Solar
https://manufacturing-today.com/news/the-eu-and-us-challenge-chinas-overcapacity-in-electric-vehicles-and-solar/
[4] Chinese EV factories run on 5.1% capacity only
https://carnewschina.com/2021/09/15/chinese-ev-factories-run-on-5-1-capacity-only/
[5] Oppo Partners with BYD
https://www.arenaev.com/oppo_partners_with_byd_for_interconnected_future_of_evs_and_ai-news-4070.php
[6 Yet Another Smartphone Brand Is Making An Electric Car
https://screenrant.com/smartphone-company-oppo-make-ev/
[7] VW joins forces with Vivo to forge the future of car-smartphone symbiosis
https://www.arenaev.com/vws_cariad_joins_forces_with_vivo_to_forge_the_future_of_carsmartphone_symbiosis-news-2665.php
[8] Why do smartphone companies want to make electric cars?
https://mobile-magazine.com/technology-and-ai/why-do-smartphone-companies-want-make-electric-cars
[9] China EV global sales in Nov 2024
https://carnewschina.com/2024/12/01/china-ev-global-sales-in-nov-xiaomi-22050-xpeng-30895-geely-122453-byd-504003/
[10] New BYD luxury electric ‘supercar’ to rival Ferrari
https://www.cbtnews.com/new-byd-luxury-electric-supercar-to-rival-ferrari/
[11] BYD’s fourth-quarter output surpasses Tesla as world’s largest EV maker
https://www.scmp.com/business/china-evs/article/3293269/byd-overtakes-tesla-worlds-largest-maker-pure-electric-cars-fourth-quarter
[12] BYD launches electric supercar to rival Lamborghini, Ferrari
https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202402/26/WS65dc1e0da31082fc043b9183.html
[13] New BYD luxury electric ‘supercar’ to rival Ferrari
https://www.cbtnews.com/new-byd-luxury-electric-supercar-to-rival-ferrari/
[14] Smart, self-driving cars
https://www.huawei.com/en/media-center/our-value/smart-cars-the-third-space
[15] Huawei AITO M9 SUV exceeds 10,000 units within 2 hours of launch
https://www.huaweicentral.com/huawei-aito-m9-suv-exceeds-10000-units-within-2-hours-of-launch/
[16] Huawei unveils AITO M9 large size SUV with HarmonyOS 4 software system
https://www.huaweicentral.com/huawei-unveils-aito-m9-large-size-suv-with-harmonyos-4-software-system/#google_vignette
[17] Xiaomi Automobile Co Ltd
https://govt.chinadaily.com.cn/s/202201/14/WS61e13925498e6a12c121d35b/xiaomi-automobile-co-ltd.html
[18] Lei Jun: Xiaomi is officially a car company
https://www.ourchinastory.com/en/11056
[19] Can Xiaomi SU7 handle the overwhelming demand?
https://techscapechina.com/can-xiaomi-su7-handle-the-overwhelming-demand-people-who-have-driven-xiaomi-cars-say-this/
[20] 2024 MG Cyberster Goes Live as the All-Electric Successor of the MG F and MG TF
https://www.autoevolution.com/news/2024-mg-cyberster-goes-live-as-the-all-electric-successor-of-the-mg-f-and-mg-tf-213585.html
[21] MG Cyberster review: electric GT convertible is a world away from the MGB
https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/mg/cyberster
[22] MG Cyberster 3-D video
https://www.saicmg.com/3d-cars/csh/cyberster.html
[23] Inside the New Chinese-Owned MG Motor Co.
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a18737687/inside-the-new-chinese-owned-mg-motor-co/
[24] MG in the UK: selling China’s British car brand
https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/mg/360211/mg-uk-selling-chinas-british-car-brand
[25] Top Gear
https://www.topgear.com/
[26] Chinese car giant Geely has bought Lotus
https://www.topgear.com/car-news/chinese-car-giant-geely-has-bought-lotus
[27] Chinese Automaker Geely Buys Lotus And Malaysia’s Proton
https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a9921832/chinese-automaker-geely-buys-lotus-and-malaysias-proton/
[28] Chinese car giant Geely has bought Lotus
https://www.topgear.com/car-news/chinese-car-giant-geely-has-bought-lotus
[29] Does China Own Volvo Cars?
https://volvovibes.com/does-china-own-volvo/
[30] Chinese car giant Geely has bought Lotus
https://www.topgear.com/car-news/chinese-car-giant-geely-has-bought-lotus
[31] Why a merger with Volvo makes sense for Geely
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-02-13/Why-a-merger-with-Volvo-makes-sense-for-Geely-O3hq5P5vl6/index.html
[32] The BYD News Is Cool, But Not What Headlines Are Claiming
https://cleantechnica.com/2025/02/11/the-byd-news-is-cool-but-not-what-headlines-are-claiming-but/
[33] Aston Martin Is Going Electric, Launching Its First EV in 2025
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a39798418/aston-martin-electric-lineup-reveal-first-ev-2025/
[34] China’s Geely raises stake in Aston Martin to 17%
https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202305/19/WS6466e78fa310b6054fad3ee6.html
[35] Apple: Apple cancels work on electric car, moves team to AI project
https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3253434/apple-cancels-work-electric-car-moves-team-ai-project?
[36] New Apple Car Leak Claims It Won’t Have Pedals Or A Steering Wheel
https://screenrant.com/apple-car-fully-autonomous-no-pedals-steering-wheel-report/
[37] Apple: Apple abandons electric car plans
https://www.shine.cn/biz/tech/2402288635/
[38] Tesla’s Sales In China Fall As BYD Soars In January
https://www.carscoops.com/2025/02/teslas-chinese-sales-fall-as-byd-soars-in-january/
[39] Tesla’s China sales drop 11.5% as BYD soars 47%
https://www.techinasia.com/news/teslas-china-sales-drop-11-5-as-byd-soars-47
[40] Tesla Sales Crash Up To 63% In European Markets, Is Musk Or New Model Y To Blame?
https://www.carscoops.com/2025/02/tesla-sales-collapse-by-up-to-63-in-france-germany-and-uk/
[41] Tesla makes more money trading Bitcoin
https://www.wsj.com/articles/tesla-makes-more-money-trading-bitcoin-than-selling-cars-11619517615?mod=e2fb
[42] Tesla Apparently Makes More From Bitcoin Than It Does From Selling Its Own Cars
https://www.entrepreneur.com/business-news/tesla-apparently-makes-more-from-bitcoin-than-it-does-from/370588
[43] Tesla Made More Money Selling Credits and Bitcoin Than Cars
https://www.autoweek.com/news/green-cars/a36266393/tesla-made-more-money-selling-credits-and-bitcoin-than-cars/
[44] BYD to Enhance Electric Vehicles with God’s Eye Intelligent Driving System
https://insideautonomousvehicles.com/byd-to-enhance-electric-vehicles-with-gods-eye-intelligent-driving-system/
[45] A Chinese EV giant is now offering free driver assistance tech on cars under $10,000
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/11/cars/china-byd-smart-driving-tesla-hnk-intl/index.html
[46] Tesla: Stock Falls on BYD’s Plan to Offer Free AI Software in EV Lineup
https://www.morningstar.com/company-reports/1263849-tesla-stock-falls-on-byds-plan-to-offer-free-ai-software-in-ev-lineup
[47] BYD to Enhance Electric Vehicles with God’s Eye Intelligent Driving System
https://insideautonomousvehicles.com/byd-to-enhance-electric-vehicles-with-gods-eye-intelligent-driving-system/
[48] BYD God’s Eye More Advanced Than Tesla Full Self Driving
https://cleantechnica.com/2025/02/12/byd-gods-eye-more-advanced-than-tesla-full-self-driving-fsd/#google_vignette
[49] What is LiDAR?
https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/lidar
[50] BYD’s workforce exceeds 900,000, with nearly 110,000 R&D personnel
https://cnevpost.com/2024/09/13/byd-workforce-exceeds-900000/
[51] BYD has the most R&D personnel among automakers and nearly 110,000 engineers, CEO says
https://carnewschina.com/2024/12/30/byd-has-the-most-rd-personnel-as-an-automaker-and-nearly-110000-engineers-ceo-says/
[52] Who Killed Michael Hastings?
https://nymag.com/news/features/michael-hastings-2013-11/
[53] False Flags and Conspiracy Theories
https://www.bluemoonofshanghai.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/FALSE-FLAGS-FOR-E-BOOK-with-INDEX.pdf
*
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NATIONS BUILT ON LIES — VOLUME 2 — Life in a Failed State
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Copyright © Larry Romanoff, Blue Moon of Shanghai, Moon of Shanghai, 2025
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