New news has emerged regarding voice-activated AI assistants developed specifically for cars. Tesla introduced Grok for vehicles in recent weeks. Today’s official announcement revealed that Tesla has partnered with DeepSeek and ByteDance to launch a new AI-powered voice assistant for its electric vehicles in China. Here are the details.
“Hey Tesla” Designed for China
The feature, called “Hey Tesla,” is designed to give drivers natural voice control for navigation, media, and cabin functions. Tesla confirmed that ByteDance’s Doubao large-format language model will handle voice commands such as climate control, routing, and controlling the entertainment system. DeepSeek’s chatbot will handle speech-based tasks such as news, weather updates, and casual conversation.
Both models run on ByteDance’s Volcano Engine cloud platform, which processes requests in real time via an encrypted API. The company launched this system with the new six-seat Model Y L SUV, which went on sale in August.
Unlike older Tesla models, which required pressing a button on the steering wheel, the Model Y L supports a wake-up call. Drivers can say “Hey Tesla” or specify a specific phrase to activate the assistant hands-free.
This announcement highlights the company’s intention to localize its services for the Chinese market. The fact that competitors like BYD, Nio, and XPeng are using advanced AI assistants may have also led Tesla to the partnership.
In the United States, Tesla continues to use Grok, an AI model developed by Elon Musk’s xAI initiative. This distinction demonstrates Tesla’s regional strategy; by empowering local AI providers in China, Tesla aims to meet regulatory and consumer expectations.
So, what are your thoughts on this? Share your thoughts in the comments.
