Tesla has entered into a partnership with Volcano Engine, the cloud services arm of ByteDance, to integrate large-scale AI models into its in-car systems in China.
According to a revised version of the “Tesla In-Vehicle Voice Assistant User Terms” on the automaker’s official China website, the new Model Y L will feature the Doubao and DeepSeek large language models, both accessed through Volcano Engine. The updated terms specify that every Tesla vehicle is equipped with a voice assistant function, which owners can activate using a physical button, the “Hey, Tesla” command, or a custom wake-up phrase to interact with the car.
The Doubao model will handle a range of voice commands, including navigation, media control, and climate adjustments. It will also provide an in-car owner’s manual lookup feature. The DeepSeek model, on the other hand, is designated for AI-powered voice-based chat services.
Analysts suggest this move could address a longstanding user complaint about the perceived lack of intelligence in Tesla’s in-car system. This is seen as an attempt to remedy that weakness.
In the United States, Tesla has already implemented the Grok AI model, although its use is currently limited. Grok is only available in certain vehicle models and exclusively for voice-based conversations.
