Tesla is rolling out a major software upgrade for its vehicles in China, introducing a localized dual-AI voice assistant to power its in-car infotainment system.
Instead of relying on SpaceXAI’s Grok model used in North America and beyond, Tesla partnered with ByteDance’s Volcano Engine cloud platform to integrate two local artificial intelligence models. ByteDance’s Doubao AI model handles direct vehicle controls, allowing drivers to adjust climate settings, navigate routes, open media apps, and access the owner manual with rapid response times, support for continuous commands, and recognition for up to 18 regional Chinese dialects.
To complement Doubao, Tesla integrated DeepSeek to manage conversational queries, answering general questions and providing real-time weather and news updates.
The new system also introduces hands-free voice activation. Chinese drivers can now trigger the assistant by saying “Hey Tesla” or choosing a custom wake word, replacing the older requirement of physically pressing a steering wheel scroll button.
By adopting Chinese AI platforms, Tesla satisfies strict regional data regulations while tailoring its smart cabin features to local consumer expectations.
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