Wang Chuanfu, chairman of BYD: The penetration rate of new energy vehicles in China is more than half, and fuel vehicles have gradually become non-mainstream

Tencent Technology

2024-04-24 19:54Posted on the official account of Beijing Tencent News Technology Channel

Tencent Technology News (Guo Xiaojing) On April 24, Horizon Robotics held the 2024 Horizon Intelligent Driving Technology Product Launch Conference in Beijing, officially releasing its new generation of Journey 6 series chips. Dr. Kai Yu, founder and CEO of Horizon Robotics, delivered a keynote speech at the meeting, elaborating on the technical characteristics, market applications and future vision of the Journey 6 series chips.

Wang Chuanfu, chairman of BYD

Wang Chuanfu, Chairman of BYD, was invited to attend the speech, saying: "The Chinese market is the best environment for the development of automotive automation, and is accelerating the transformation of new intelligent vehicles around the world. In the first half of April this year, the penetration rate of new energy passenger vehicles in China has exceeded 50%, which marks the arrival of a turning point - new energy vehicles have become the mainstream of the market, while fuel vehicles have gradually become non-mainstream, which is an extremely important moment. ”

At the press conference, Wang Chuanfu also officially announced that BYD models will be equipped with Journey 6, and will cooperate with Horizon for in-depth cooperation.

The following is the full transcript of the speech:

Today, on behalf of BYD Group, I am very pleased to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Chairman Yu Kai and his team at the launch of Horizon's new generation of autonomous driving products. Your company has set a new milestone in the field of autonomous driving chips in China. With the Beijing Auto Show approaching, advanced autonomous driving will undoubtedly become one of the most high-profile focuses.

As the first company in China to mass-produce autonomous driving chips, Horizon's "Journey" series chips have been widely used and occupy an important position in the industrial chain in which they are located. The Chinese market is the best environment for the development of automotive automation, and is accelerating the transformation of new intelligent vehicles around the world. 

At present, China's new energy vehicle market has achieved explosive growth. Last year, the country's total sales exceeded 9.49 million units, ranking first in the world and accounting for nearly two-thirds of the global market. Recent data shows that in the first half of April this year, the penetration rate of new energy passenger vehicles in China has exceeded 50%, which marks the arrival of a turning point - new energy vehicles have become the mainstream of the market, while fuel vehicles have gradually become non-mainstream, which is an extremely important moment. 

As we all know, electrification is the first half of the automotive revolution, and it lays a solid foundation for us. Looking forward to the future, intelligence, as the second half of the revolution, will provide new impetus for our gear shifting and speeding. In 2023, the assembly volume of L2 and above models in China's new energy passenger vehicles will reach 3.86 million units, which provides massive data support for the development of advanced autonomous driving technology. At the same time, the high acceptance of intelligent technology by Chinese users has injected strong market impetus into the development of intelligent driving. In this context, intelligence is accelerating the transformation of the industry, bringing us unprecedented development opportunities.

BYD began to deploy intelligence very early, and took the lead in the industry to put forward the concept of "electrification in the first half and intelligence in the second half". We attach great importance to the R&D and investment in intelligent driving. At present, the size of our autonomous driving R&D team has reached about 4,000 people, and we are in the leading position in the industry in terms of team size and R&D capabilities. In July 2023, we launched the world's first safety-focused advanced autonomous driving assistance system, the "God of the Sky Eye", and have been mass-produced and delivered on a number of models.

In the future, BYD's advanced autonomous driving technology will cover a wide range of markets from 200,000 to 1 million models, achieving a wider development leap. In addition to the autonomous driving system, we also provide intelligent solutions for the whole vehicle, which is a new direction for intelligent development. In the case of our concept car, the vehicle can brake and turn flexibly even without braking and steering. In this process, in-vehicle chips play a central role. Today, Horizon Robotics released the new Journey 6 series chips, launching 6 products at one time, covering a wide range of computing power from 10 TOPS to 500 TOPS, which provides effective solutions for our different product lines and brands. 

As early as March 2021, we started a strategic cooperation with Horizon. So far, millions of BYD cars have been equipped with Horizon's chips, and we have become Horizon's largest mass production partner. Today, I am here to announce that BYD's models will also be equipped with the Journey 6 series chips. We will continue to cooperate with Horizon Robotics to create a safer and more reliable intelligent driving experience for consumers, and make every effort to promote the popularization of advanced autonomous driving technology and the rapid development of intelligent vehicles in China." Thank you.

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