Tesla has introduced a new AI-powered voice assistant in its electric vehicles in China, developed in partnership with DeepSeek and ByteDance. The feature is called “Hey Tesla” and is designed to give drivers natural voice control for navigation, media, and cabin functions.
Tesla confirmed that ByteDance’s Doubao large language model will manage voice commands such as adjusting the air conditioning, setting routes, and controlling entertainment. DeepSeek’s chatbot will handle conversational tasks, including news, weather updates, and casual interaction. Both models operate on ByteDance’s Volcano Engine cloud platform, which processes requests in real time through an encrypted API.
The company launched the system with the new six-seat Model Y L SUV, which went on sale in August. Unlike older Tesla models in China that require pressing a steering wheel button, the Model Y L supports a wake phrase. Drivers can say “Hey Tesla” or set a custom word to activate the assistant hands-free.
Tesla’s choice of partners reflects its push to localize features for the Chinese market. Domestic rivals such as BYD, Nio, and Xpeng already use advanced AI voice assistants, giving them an advantage in customer experience. By adopting DeepSeek and Doubao, Tesla aims to close that gap and compete more directly with homegrown brands.
In the United States, Tesla continues to use Grok, the AI model built by Elon Musk’s startup xAI. The split shows Tesla’s regional strategy, with local AI providers powering its cars in China to meet regulatory and consumer expectations. BMW has taken a similar path, working with Alibaba’s QWen LLM for its Chinese lineup.
Tesla has not confirmed when the new voice assistant will expand to other models in China. The company’s updated terms of service mention the integration, but some owners said they had not received the feature in recent over-the-air updates. Despite the delay, Tesla is signaling that in-car intelligence is now central to competing in the world’s largest EV market.
In related news, we recently covered a comprehensive guide on AI chatbot subscriptions in 2025, including all the key plans, pricing, and features you need to know.
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