- BYD unveiled a new vehicle-mounted drone for its EVs on Sunday.
- The Lingyuan drone takes off from a retractable hanger and travels up to 33 miles an hour.
- Chinese EV makers are locked in a tech arms race as they try to win customers with futuristic features.
BYD’s latest trick for taking on Tesla in China’s brutally competitive auto market is built-in drones.
The Chinese EV giant unveiled a vehicle-mounted drone system on Sunday, allowing drivers to take sweeping panoramic videos.
The Lingyuan drone system, which BYD developed with Chinese drone maker DJI, will be offered on models as a 16,000 yuan ($2,200) optional extra.
The drones are housed in a roof compartment, can take off and land from a moving car and follow the vehicle at speeds of up to 33 miles an hour.
BYD’s premium Yangwang U8 SUV, which costs about $150,000, already includes an onboard drone, but Lingyuan will add the feature to more affordable vehicles.
The first models to get the system include BYD’s $27,000 Sealion 07 DM-i hybrid and $40,000 Tang L electric SUV.
Drones are the latest high-tech extra offered by a Chinese automaker to make their cars stand out in the country’s intensely competitive auto industry.
While its rivals have offered features such as AI-assisted parking and the ability to voice-control household appliances, BYD has led the way when it comes to smart features.
The company recently showed off a supercar that can “jump” over potholes, and last month announced that it would install advanced “God’s Eye” self-driving technology in all its EVs, including the $9,500 Seagull, at no extra cost.
Weeks later, Tesla rolled out its own self-driving tech to some drivers in China. Elon Musk’s automaker, which is battling BYD for global EV dominance, offers Chinese drivers self-driving features for $8,800 extra — only slightly less than the cost of BYD’s Seagull.
BYD sales are booming following strong demand for its affordable EVs and hybrids. It sold 318,000 vehicles in February, up 161% on the same month last year, with a record 67,000 sales outside China.
