Geely Auto, mainland China’s second-largest carmaker, said it would add its indigenous artificial intelligence (AI)-powered pilot system to vehicles from all of its brands, including Galaxy, Zeekr and Lynk.
In a virtual briefing on Monday, the company said its brands would use the G-Pilot technology that enables cars to navigate highways and conduct self-parking. With the move, Geely became the second major carmaker on the mainland to make self-driving technology available to all its customers.
“As an industry leader in AI technologies for smart vehicles, Geely Auto Group is committed to promoting greater utilisation of smart technologies among the wider public,” said Gan Jiayue, CEO of the company’s passenger car subsidiary.
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Last month, BYD, the world’s largest electric car maker, said it would include an autopilot system in nearly all its cars for free. At least 21 models – including the Seagull hatchback, priced as low as 69,800 yuan (US$9,583) – would be fitted with its indigenous advanced driver-assistance system, the Shenzhen-based company said. BYD is the world’s largest assembler of electric vehicles (EVs).
“Geely’s push for autonomous driving and vehicle intelligence will ratchet up pressure on market leader BYD as the two top EV makers in China compete on the technology front,” said Gao Shen, an independent analyst in Shanghai. “Both companies have a diverse product portfolio and can build vehicles for each price spectrum.”
In 2024, Geely delivered 2.18 million units – including petrol-powered cars and EVs – to buyers around the world, trailing only BYD.
In the first two months of 2025, Geely delivered 471,647 cars, an increase of 45 per cent from a year earlier.
BYD delivered 4.27 million pure electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in 2024, an increase of 41.3 per cent from a year earlier. It surpassed Volkswagen to become the mainland’s largest carmaker – including EVs and petroleum-powered vehicles – last year. During the fourth quarter of 2024, the company’s deliveries outside the mainland accounted for 7.8 per cent of the total.
Geely’s parent company also owns Volvo Cars and has a stake in Mercedes-Benz Group.
This year is expected to see the “democratisation of high-end, autonomous-driving systems” in mainstream vehicles on the mainland, as dozens of carmakers hone their innovative capacities to pull ahead of their rivals, said Paul Gong, head of China auto research at UBS, in January.
Around 15 million new cars, or two-thirds of national sales in 2025, would be fitted with a preliminary autonomous-driving system, according to Zhang Yongwei, the general secretary of China EV100, a non-governmental organisation that counts most of the nation’s top EV executives as members.
Zhang said the 15 million intelligent cars would feature at least Level 2 self-driving capabilities including steering, acceleration and deceleration, but would require drivers to take control at any time.
This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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