Connecting with large models from Chinese manufacturers is an important step for international car companies to achieve intelligent transformation in China.
On September 23, Mercedes-Benz announced the signing of an upgraded strategic cooperation memorandum with ByteDance. Oliver Thöne, a member of the board of directors of Mercedes-Benz Group AG and head of Greater China operations, and Zhang Lidong, chairman of ByteDance Beijing, attended the signing ceremony together, demonstrating the importance both parties attach to this cooperation.
According to the cooperation memorandum, ByteDance will support Mercedes-Benz in the development of intelligent cockpit and intelligent driving assistance functions in the Chinese market, as well as in digital marketing and customer operations, involving core technologies such as Doubao large model, big data, AI cloud-native algorithms, and intelligent driving cloud.
The current importance of cockpit experience in the overall vehicle experience is increasingly recognized, raising demands for product human-computer interaction and user understanding capabilities, providing a rare opportunity for technology companies with layouts in AI, intelligent driving, and cloud computing to become important suppliers to car manufacturers.
The scope of cooperation between the two parties is not limited to smart vehicles but will also cover digital marketing and operations.
The strategic cooperation reached between Mercedes-Benz and ByteDance will span the entire business process of Mercedes-Benz in the Chinese market from research and development, management to marketing and service.
Firstly, in the field of intelligent cockpits, this upgrade means that the voice assistant in Mercedes-Benz cars is no longer “useless.” In the past, users needed to issue precise commands in standard Mandarin, but now, thanks to the Doubao large model’s learning from a vast corpus of Chinese data, users can speak to it as if chatting with a friend. Behind this is the Doubao’s profound understanding of Chinese accumulated from processing massive user requests daily. In addition, ByteDance’s personalized recommendation capabilities are also brought into the car. It can not only find content users want to see and hear from libraries like Douyin but also proactively recommend destinations or services that users may be interested in based on their preferences.
In the field of intelligent driving assistance, Volcano Engine will provide support for Mercedes-Benz’s localized research and development. The intelligent driving algorithm jointly developed by Mercedes-Benz and the Chinese manufacturer Momenta will receive foundational technical support from partners like Volcano Engine for resource allocation and data compliance. This cooperation model ensures the smooth advancement of Mercedes-Benz’s intelligent driving research and development while complying with China’s data security regulations, paving the way for Mercedes-Benz’s long-term development in the Chinese market.
Furthermore, the cooperation between the two parties will also delve into the research and development of vehicles. To enhance overall research and development efficiency, Volcano Engine will utilize AI and data analysis capabilities to assist Mercedes-Benz in building its own big data platform. In the future, Mercedes-Benz’s Chinese research and development team will also use the AI features of Feishu to make internal communication and project management smoother and more efficient.
In addition to the integration of technology and research and development, Mercedes-Benz will also collaborate with ByteDance to explore new media marketing channels and jointly optimize customer operations.
The timing of the upgrade in strategic cooperation reflects each party’s practical needs and strategic considerations.
From the perspective of Mercedes-Benz, this year marks the 20th anniversary of its establishment of a local research and development team in China. Currently, the innovative results of the Mercedes-Benz China research and development team in the field of intelligent cockpits have begun to feed back into its global product line, and this strategic cooperation will further enhance Mercedes-Benz’s research and development capabilities, which can be seen as a new implementation of Mercedes-Benz’s “In China, for the World” research and development strategy.
By deeply collaborating with an internet technology company like ByteDance, Mercedes-Benz can quickly strengthen its capabilities in artificial intelligence and large model technology, enhancing the intelligent cockpit experience of its models and rapidly building a closed loop of computing power and data in the field of intelligent driving assistance, thereby providing strong support for its overall intelligent transformation in the Chinese market.
According to the information released by both parties, as well as Mercedes-Benz’s recent preview at the Munich Auto Show in Germany, the all-electric sedan CLA, which begins pre-sales today, and the all-electric SUV GLC, expected to launch this fall, will both be equipped with the Doubao large model.
The all-electric sedan CLA from Mercedes-Benz is expected to launch this fall and will be equipped with the Doubao large model.
The all-electric sedan CLA from Mercedes-Benz is expected to launch this fall and will be equipped with the Doubao large model.
From ByteDance’s perspective, this cooperation is equally significant. On one hand, as a traditional German luxury brand, Mercedes-Benz’s adherence to strict quality standards and technical requirements will enhance ByteDance’s service capabilities in the automotive industry; on the other hand, establishing a strategic partnership with Mercedes-Benz will demonstrate the technical strength and market position of Volcano Engine to the outside world, helping ByteDance expand its customer base with more quality car manufacturers.
Volcano Engine accelerates its entry into the automotive industry, having partnered with 80% of mainstream car manufacturers in the country.
The latest report from International Data Corporation (IDC) shows that in the first half of this year, Volcano Engine was the number one public cloud service provider for large models in China, and its clients in the automotive industry now include mainstream manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz, SAIC, Audi, BMW, Tesla, Li Auto, and NIO, as well as leading intelligent driving solution providers like Momenta and Yuanrong Qixing. Through several representative cooperation cases, the specific role of Volcano Engine in the automotive field can be more clearly seen.
The collaboration with SAIC Group exemplifies the depth of Volcano Engine’s business. The strategic partnership between SAIC and Volcano Engine has expanded to multiple levels, including automotive cloud, large models, and ecosystem co-construction. Currently, both parties are focusing on the Doubao large model, conducting joint research and development in intelligent cockpits and digital efficiency enhancement.
In April of this year, Volcano Engine President Tan Dai (third from right) attended the 2025 SAIC Night event.
In April of this year, Volcano Engine President Tan Dai (third from right) attended the 2025 SAIC Night event.
Among these, SAIC Audi launched a mobile car-machine interconnection product called “Audi Assistant,” which can be deployed simultaneously on both the car machine and the mobile app, synchronizing user chat records and achieving a near-human natural conversation experience through the understanding and memory capabilities of the Doubao large model. The “Audi Assistant” not only allows for smarter vehicle control but also accesses ByteDance’s content ecosystem, enriching the in-cabin entertainment experience. The newly released Audi E5 Sportback last week has already equipped the “Audi Assistant”.
Additionally, on September 17, the SAIC Roewe M7 DMH, the world’s first car equipped with the Doubao deep thinking large model, was launched. The main selling point of this vehicle is its “AI smart cockpit that can think deeply,” which not only allows for natural human-like interaction but also has multi-turn dialogue memory and logical reasoning capabilities for complex problems. Compared to traditional car machine systems, it can understand users’ implied meanings and provide more accurate responses based on contextual cues.
Beyond product technology, Volcano Engine is also helping car manufacturers streamline their digital marketing processes. For example, BMW’s technology company “Lingyue” is collaborating with Volcano Engine to create a dedicated “online car purchase advisor” using AI large model technology. This advisor can quickly recommend suitable models and configurations based on consumer preferences, and can answer various inquiries from consumers 24/7. This way, both BMW’s brand and dealers can improve their efficiency, and the entire process from a consumer’s interest in a car to driving a new one becomes smoother and easier.
In addition to serving traditional automotive brands, Volcano Engine’s cooperation landscape has also extended to leading new car manufacturing forces. The updated “Tesla Vehicle Voice Assistant User Agreement” on Tesla’s China website shows that Volcano Engine will provide large model services for Tesla’s intelligent cockpit. In the Chinese market, the Tesla Model Y L has integrated the Doubao large model through Volcano Engine, enabling voice commands for navigation settings, media playback control, air conditioning temperature adjustment, and assisting users in real-time queries of the owner’s manual.
The choices of these car manufacturers are not isolated cases. So far, about 80% of mainstream car manufacturers in the Chinese market have partnered with Volcano Engine.
The rapid penetration of Volcano Engine in the automotive industry stems from its ability to cover numerous business scenarios for car manufacturers, from smart cockpits and intelligent driving assistance at the vehicle end, to digital marketing and customer service at the market end, and to AI collaboration at the R&D end. Thanks to its accumulation in the field of AI large model technology and its comprehensive capabilities to address core pain points at different stages of car manufacturers, Volcano Engine has transcended the role of an ordinary supplier, becoming a strategic partner for more and more automotive brands in their process of intelligent development.
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