Tesla is set to roll out new in-car voice assistant features in China, leveraging AI models from DeepSeek and ByteDance’s Doubao. This information comes from a terms and service document recently published on the company’s official website, as reported by Bloomberg News.
A report from Bloomberg reveals that the system will enable drivers to utilise voice commands for controlling navigation, entertainment, and cabin temperature, in addition to receiving news updates. Doubao is set to manage the majority of the voice processing tasks, with DeepSeek providing support for AI interactions. The two models are deployed on ByteDance’s Volcano Engine cloud service.
Tesla, based in the United States, utilises Grok, an artificial intelligence platform created by xAI, a startup founded by Elon Musk. A report indicates that regulatory requirements have hindered Grok’s introduction in China. In this market, Tesla encounters competition from local manufacturers like BYD and Geely, both of which have already integrated DeepSeek into their vehicles.
The recent shift highlights the trend of foreign automakers increasingly relying on Chinese AI providers to satisfy the growing local demand for technology-driven vehicles. In related developments, BMW revealed earlier this year its plans to incorporate Alibaba’s QWen model into cars tailored for the Chinese market.
Tesla experienced a decline in deliveries from its Shanghai facility for six of the first seven months of 2025, with shipments in July decreasing by 8.4% compared to the same month last year. The timeline for when Chinese customers will be able to access the new AI assistants is still uncertain, with multiple owners reporting to Bloomberg News that they have not yet received notifications for updates. Tesla’s official WeChat account recently announced an over-the-air update, with the most recent entry dated August 18.
