Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)-backed autonomous driving developer DeepRoute.ai said Saturday that more than 300,000 cars on Chinese roads now use its advanced assisted-driving system, a sign of how quickly China's auto sector is pushing smart-driving features into the mass market.
DeepRoute Sees Rapid Assisted-Driving Expansion
Reuters reported that Chief Executive Maxwell Zhou, speaking on the sidelines of the Beijing auto show, said the company expects that total to rise by another 1 million vehicles this year.
DeepRoute.ai said its system is already integrated into more than 15 vehicle models produced in partnership with companies including Great Wall Motor Co. (OTC:GWLLY) and Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. (OTC:GELYF). The company has also shifted fully to a large-model autonomous-driving strategy built around a 40-billion-parameter Vision-Language-Action foundation model, which it says helps vehicles interpret complex environments, carry out maneuvers and evaluate their own decisions to improve safety and transparency.
Chinese media reported that the company is targeting vehicles priced between 150,000 yuan and 300,000 yuan, or about $22,000 to $44,000, as it pushes higher-end driving features into the mass market rather than limiting them to premium models.
Benzinga reached out to DeepRoute.ai for comment, but has yet to receive a response at the time of publication.
China Broadens AI Push Into Autos
The company's update comes as China broadens its AI ambitions well beyond chatbots and data centers. Reuters separately reported this weekend that Beijing's latest five-year plan includes an "AI Plus" blueprint meant to weave artificial intelligence into nearly every major industry, including autos, while also reducing reliance on high-end semiconductors, an area long dominated by U.S. firms.
Rivals Showcase Smarter In-Car Features
Chinese automakers are already putting that strategy on display. Companies including Xiaomi Corp. (OTC:XIACY) (OTC:XIACF) and XPeng Inc. (NYSE:XPEV) have been showcasing AI-powered systems such as advanced voice assistants that can perform tasks beyond the car itself, including making restaurant reservations.
DeepRoute.ai’s success also comes against the backdrop of Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA), which is actively pushing for full regulatory approval of its Supervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) in China, a move CEO Elon Musk identifies as crucial for growth. While Tesla has introduced advanced driver-assistance features (ADAS) that mirror its U.S. FSD system, it faced pushback on using the “FSD” name, sometimes referring to it as “full self-driving intelligent assisted driving”.
According to Benzinga Pro data, TSLA stock has gained more than 30% over the past year. Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings, meanwhile, shows that the stock offers satisfactory Growth but fails to offer a favorable price trend in the Short, Medium, and Long term.
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