Chinese tech giant Alibaba announced on Friday that its Qwen artificial intelligence model will be built into vehicles from several automakers. These include BYD and a local joint venture of Volkswagen. This move comes as the auto industry pushes to add more digital services inside cars and compete for buyers in a slowing electric vehicle market.
The Qwen model will run on Nvidia’s automotive chip system and is designed to work even when network connection is weak. Alibaba stated that certain car models will allow drivers to use voice commands for various tasks. These include ordering food delivery, booking hotels, buying tickets for attractions, and tracking packages, among other features. This aims to create a more connected and convenient experience for car owners.
The system combines processing done directly on the car with cloud-based computing. This allows it to understand voice commands, plan tasks with multiple steps, and connect to services like payments and navigation seamlessly. Automakers that will integrate Qwen into their vehicle systems include BYD, Geely, Li Auto, Changan, Dongfeng, BAIC, Great Wall Motor, SAIC Volkswagen, and SAIC IM Motors.
Alibaba made this announcement on the opening day of the Beijing Auto Show 2026, a major event for the automotive industry in China. Earlier this year, FAW Group’s Hongqi brand already integrated Qwen into its in-car system, first appearing in the Hongqi HS6 plug-in hybrid model.
This rollout happens as Chinese automakers are competing hard to attract buyers in an electric car market that is slowing down. They are trying to stand out by offering advanced in-car software and services.
A local version of Audi in China, which uses a wordmark instead of its four-ring logo, said its second model—an electric SUV called the E7X—will start presales on May 8. Audi announced at the auto show that this vehicle will include AI features from ByteDance’s Doubao and iFlyTek.
Cadillac, the American luxury vehicle brand from General Motors, also showed off a new model with voice-assistant features that can connect with ByteDance’s Doubao AI. It was not immediately clear whether these advanced AI features would be available in cars sold outside of China.
