BYD abhi Europe mein electric or plug-in hybrid cars ki sales mein top par chal rahi hai. Company ne kaafi wide range ke models launch kiye hai, jo different-different type customers ko target karte hai. Iske cars ki finishing or technology itni advanced hai ki brand global level par bhi forefront dikh raha hai. Yeh European, especially German car makers ko clearly dikha raha hai ki BYD sales charts mein top kyun kar raha hai.
Par perfection jaisi koi cheez hoti hi nahi hai, chahe Chinese log kitna bhi believer kar lein ki hoti hai. Har cheez ko control karna impossible hai, or BYD ke saath jo unke Chinese customers ke between ho raha hai, woh iska ek perfect example hai.
Last year company ne ek driver assistance technology launch ki thi, jise woh world ki best advanced bol rahe the, jo semi autonomous driving jaise features de sakti hai. But jo yeh famous "God Eye" system hai, woh basic expectation tak ko meet nahi kar pa raha hai.
BYD has overstepped with European brands
Image Courtesy: Motor.es
Ek report ne yeh reveal kiya hai ki thousands of Chinese customers iss system ke saath kitni problem face kar rahe hai. Isme ek example diya gaya hai ek luxury Yangwang U8 ke owner ka, ek SUV jiske liye usne around 1.5 lakh euros spend kiye the, China ki advanced technology dikhane ke liye. But ab usse apni iss purchase par poora regret ho raha hai.
"Eye of God" jo supposedly road par hazards detect karne ke liye banaya gaya tha, woh properly work hi nahi kar raha. BYD ne claim kiya tha kiya tha ki yeh system khud se drive kar sakta hai, or karta bhi hai, but sirf jab iska mann karta hai, woh bhi bina proper safety measures ke.
Logon ki complaints ke according, car kabhi sudden speed increase kar deti hai, kabhi speed limits cross kar deti hai, or kabhi apne lane se hat jaati hai. Kuch cases mein toh yeh unexpected situations mein ajeeb evasive maneuvers bhi kar deti hai. And sabse badi problem, navigation signals baar baar lose ho jaate hai, even traffic wale crowded cities ke between mein bhi.
Build Your Dreams ke saamne ab ek big problem aa gaya hai, because last year unhone bade dhoom-dhaam se announce kiya tha ki unke saare models mein, even most small cars mein bhi, "God's Eye" technology milegi.
Ye ek strong move tha, jisne other big brands ki weakness expose kar di, because wo log aaj bhi driver assistance systems ya semi-autonomous driving features ko tab tak common nahi banate jab tak customers uske liye extra paise na dein.
The "Eye of God" is a hoax, and BYD has been failed to stop it from becoming widely known
But ab clearly dikh raha hai ki yeh strategy backfire kar gayi hai, or ek or most dangerous side saamne aa gayi hai, itni advanced technology abhi mass production ke liye ready hi nahi hai.
Actually, Chinese social media par customers ne jitne bhi malfunctions report kiye hai, woh direct response lagte hai Wang Chuanfu ke us prediction ka, jahan unhone bola tha ki "advanced driver assistance feature next 2-3 years mein bilkul indispensable ho jayenge, bilkul seat belts or airbags ki tarah."
BYD ko Yangwang U8 wale owner ke case ke baare mein pata hai, or unhone wo typical statement release kiya jo honestly kuch khaas bolta hi nahi.
"Yangwang brand hamesha user feedback ko value karta hai or hum better products or services dene ke liye committed hai."
SBD Automotive, jo ek automotive consulting firm hai, ne BYD ki situation ko analyze kiya or kaafi bade issues highlight kiye. Dekho, sirf car ke paas saare technical components hona ek different baat hai, but unko properly software ke through implement karna bilkul different game hai. BYD ne yeh work successfully kar liya hai, but European manufacturers ne nahi, aisa nahi hai ki woh kar nahi paaye, bas unka approach thoda different hai.
Implementation and maturity are two distinct concepts, and the issue with BYD
First thing first, Europeans ne abhi tak saari technical equipment adopt nahi ki hai, because wo small cars mein yeh systems offer hi nahi karte. second thing, agar wo aisa karte hai toh car ka weight increase ho jata hai or uske saath emissions bhi increase ho jaate hai. Third thing is, European brands BMW wali mistake repeat nahi karna chahte, means aisi technologies or systems add karna jo customers ne actually maange hi nahi. Ab "just in case" wala approach work nahi karta.
Analysis ne kaafi zyada cheezein reveal kar di hai, jis se system ki maturity or bhi complicated lagne lagi hai. BYD kehta hai ki "God Eye" unki har car mein hota hai, but software segment ke according different hota hai.
Jo most affordable models hote hai, unmein "Tier C" system aata hai, jo sirf artificial vision par based solutions deta hai. Mid-range models mein "Tier B" use hota hai, whereas luxury models, jaise Yangwang U8, mein "Tier A" software hota hai, jise aap unke 3 LiDAR sensors se easily recognize kar sakte hai.
Despite this, BYD abhi sirf apna poora "God's Eye" system apne home market, means China mein hi deta hai, jahan 2025 ke end tak around 25 lakh carss mein yeh system lag chuka tha.
But problem yeh hai ki different software versions hone ki wajah se isko massive scale par implement karna thoda complicated ho jata hai. And yahi ek big difference hai aise systems ke comparison mein jaise Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD) (jisko hum test bhi kar chuke hai), ya Ford BlueCruise, jo Ford Mustang Mach-E or Ford Puma dono mein available hai.