Tesla China Vehicles to Feature Doubao AI with Dialect Recognition and Multi-Command Support

Tesla’s China-market vehicle infotainment system will integrate the Doubao large language model in upcoming OTA updates. The service was officially registered in Shanghai in April 2024. This upgrade primarily targets newer Model Y vehicles and leverages technical support from Volcano Engine to enable rapid deployment of large models directly on vehicle hardware. Tesla’s official website has updated its “In-Car Voice Assistant Terms of Use,” confirming a dual-model collaborative approach: the Doubao large model handles vehicle control functions, offering 0.5-second fast response times, concurrent processing of multiple continuous commands, and recognition of 18 Chinese dialects; meanwhile, the DeepSeek model powers AI-driven casual conversation and emotional companionship interactions. Tesla’s collaboration with Volcano Engine began in August 2023, under which Volcano Engine agreed to provide large-model services for Tesla’s intelligent cockpit systems. The OTA rollout has not yet been fully launched, and the specific timing will vary by vehicle model and production batch. This strategic shift indicates that Tesla is moving away from its overseas-developed Grok large model in the Chinese market and adopting localized AI solutions to better align with domestic users’ linguistic habits and interaction preferences.