DeepSeek’s namesake chatbot and ByteDance’s Doubao AI model are expected to help Tesla better engage with EV buyers in China

Tesla is rolling out an upgraded voice assistant system for its electric vehicles (EVs) in mainland China, adopting artificial intelligence from DeepSeek and ByteDance to better engage with customers in the world’s largest automotive market.

DeepSeek’s namesake chatbot would be used for “AI interaction”, which enables a Tesla EV’s driver to have casual conversations with the system, while also getting the latest news and weather information, according to the updated terms of use posted this month on the US carmaker’s mainland website.

A user activates the upgraded voice assistant system by saying “Hey, Tesla” or another designated phrase, providing a more intuitive approach than clicking a button on either the EV’s steering wheel or multimedia terminal.

Volcano Engine, the cloud computing services unit of ByteDance, is responsible for the AI systems integration using an encrypted application programming interface, a protocol that enables different software applications to communicate.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

Tesla’s latest initiative reflects the carmaker’s efforts to boost orders on the mainland’s highly competitive EV market, as the AI systems from DeepSeek and ByteDance would appeal to domestic buyers.

Details on when Tesla’s upgraded voice assistant system would be available and on which models remain unknown. Tesla’s recently launched six-seat Model Y L SUV, which supports a voice wake-up feature, will start deliveries next month.

Still, Tesla was nearly half a year late in adopting Chinese AI solutions. As of mid-February, more than a dozen domestic carmakers – including BYD, Geely and Stellantis-backed start-up Leapmotor – had already announced plans to release cars with DeepSeek-enabled AI features.

Total EV deliveries – comprising passenger cars and commercial vehicles like buses – slid 5 per cent from a month earlier to 1.26 million units in July, according to data from the government-backed China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. It was the first month-on-month drop in the Chinese EV market since May.

The Beijing-based unicorn ByteDance had also formed an “automobile LLM ecosystem alliance” with more than 20 firms that included Geely and Great Wall Motor.