Chongqing - In 2025, China’s new energy vehicle (NEV) industry is shifting gears toward smarter, AI-driven innovation. Automakers are upgrading in-car tech, making human-vehicle interaction more intuitive and paving the way for fully intelligent rides. The rapid rise of DeepSeek is adding fresh momentum to this transformation.

Zhang Xiaolu, Chief Data Officer of iDigital in Chongqing Liangjiang New Area, elaborated on DeepSeek's transformative impact in automotive applications. He explained that, first, human-vehicle interaction will become more intuitive, eliminating the need for command-style instructions. 

For instance, instead of saying, “set the air conditioning to 22 degrees,” users could simply say, “I’m going to sleep,” and the car would understand the intent. Second, vehicles will become more proactive, anticipating users’ needs and offering services accordingly.

Zhang attributed DeepSeek’s popularity to its R1 inference model, which processes complex instructions in a step-by-step manner akin to an engineer’s reasoning. However, this advancement comes with latency issues. 

Given the computational limitations of in-vehicle chips, a local-and-cloud deployment is necessary. In this deployment, voice commands are converted into text and then sent to cloud servers for processing. This inevitably affects response time.

Despite these challenges, automakers are accelerating the development of smart cockpits. Zhang noted that DeepSeek’s open-source advantage is driving this progress. Different car manufacturers are leveraging their unique ecosystems to create differentiated advantages. 

For example, BYD relies on its vast user base and extensive data resources to rapidly enhance its capabilities, while other automakers are integrating third-party technologies from platforms such as TikTok or Baidu to refine their intelligent ecosystems.

Lei Jianmei, CAERI Chief Expert and Vice General Manager of the Information and Intelligence Business Unit, emphasized that automobiles' future extends far beyond mere transportation or even the concept of a “third living space.” Instead, vehicles will evolve into intelligent companions—robots capable of understanding emotions and fulfilling emotional needs.

With the rapid advancement of AI, the smart cockpit is poised for a revolutionary transformation in just a few years. “Significant changes will unfold this year and next,” Lei predicted. “By early next year, looking back at this year’s models, we may find that human-vehicle interaction has already undergone a fundamental shift.”