BYD collaborated with DJI to accomplish a significant event

Author | Wang Xiaojun

Editor | Zhou Zhiyu

BYD has once again dropped a "deep-water bomb" in the automotive industry.

On the evening of March 2, BYD, in collaboration with DJI, launched the world's first mass-produced vehicle-mounted drone system, "Lingyuan." This marks another intelligent ecological revolution following BYD's launch of universal intelligent driving on February 10.

This seemingly cross-border technological marriage not only makes BYD the first automaker to deeply integrate drones with vehicles but also sends a signal: BYD's ambition in the realm of intelligence and user experience goes far beyond "selling cars"; it aims to define the future of mobility.

Additionally, the strong alliance between the two major Shenzhen companies reflects the synergy among Shenzhen's intelligent manufacturing enterprises. Currently, Shenzhen has released documents to layout industries such as artificial intelligence and embodied robotics. With the support of these strong enterprises, Shenzhen's bargaining chips and confidence have become even more substantial.

Breakthrough

For a long time, BYD was considered the electrification choice for many conservatives. However, BYD is currently continuously catching up to acquire smarter, more technological, and even more fashionable labels.

Last night's launch event was part of this effort.

So, what exactly is this Lingyuan system? Simply put, it involves spending 16,000 yuan to create a drone "hangar" on the roof of the car, allowing users to capture footage at will during their travels.

Unlike traditional vehicle-mounted drones that only serve as external accessories, the innovation of the Lingyuan system lies in its deep integration of drones with the vehicle's intelligent ecosystem. At the launch event, BYD and DJI publicly unveiled the three core technologies of the system—integrated hardware architecture, vehicle-machine collaborative operating system, and scenario-based intelligent applications.

According to reports, the Lingyuan system employs the world's first vehicle-mounted retractable helipad solution, integrating multiple hardware components such as a vehicle-mounted drone positioning module, a 4K high-definition rooftop camera, and a customized dual-mode handle. It can achieve dynamic takeoff and landing during vehicle movement, one-click return to the hangar, and follow-up shooting, as well as storage and fast charging.

Taking the BYD Yangwang U8 as an example, its rooftop drone compartment can complete the storage and release of the drone within 30 seconds and achieve rapid recharging through the vehicle's power supply, improving endurance efficiency by 40%.

On the software side, users can plan flight routes and view aerial footage in real-time through the central control screen or voice commands, and it supports one-click video editing.

Previously, some car manufacturers claimed that their vehicle systems could recognize user gestures to take photos of all passengers in the car, capturing moments.

In comparison, the Lingyuan system offers more sophisticated functionalities.

Users can control the drone through the vehicle's central control or a mobile app, enabling features such as follow-car shooting, intelligent return, and real-time traffic monitoring, allowing users to generate cinematic videos with just one click and share them on social media. One person, one car, one drone, effectively forms a film crew, making the journey from travel to footage effortless If the subsequent real-world performance truly demonstrates such powerful capabilities, this system could directly transform into a travel blogger trap. The first model equipped with this feature, the Equation Leopard 8 Drone Edition, has officially launched, starting at a price of 395,800 yuan.

In terms of application, the Lingyuan system has preset modes for outdoor adventures, urban commuting, and emergency rescue to cater to different user needs.

In the past, drones needed to be manually carried, operated complexly, and charged cumbersome, while the Lingyuan system turns it into a "natural extension of vehicle scenarios." When users are off-roading, the drone can automatically survey the road conditions ahead; in outdoor scenarios like camping, the drone is also a recording artifact; during urban commuting, it can capture scenic views along the way with one click and generate short videos.

For example, in the off-road scenario of the Equation Leopard 5, the drone can automatically take off and act as an "aerial navigator," detecting road conditions in real-time.

BYD Senior Vice President Yang Dongsheng summarized it as "a seamless experience from travel to capturing moments."

Circle of Friends

In the view of BYD Chairman and President Wang Chuanfu, this cooperation has deeper significance.

Currently, the Chinese new energy vehicle market has entered a stage of "close combat." In 2024, BYD is expected to sell 3.02 million units, retaining its title as the global sales champion in new energy vehicles, but its growth rate has dropped from 62% in 2023 to 23%. Meanwhile, technology companies like Huawei and Xiaomi are crossing over into car manufacturing, and Tesla's FSD is accelerating its entry into China, making intelligence and ecological capabilities a new battleground for car companies to compete for users.

Although BYD holds advantages in battery and hybrid technology, it still faces the "follower" label in areas like intelligent driving and vehicle ecology. However, the release of the nationwide intelligent driving initiative this year is expected to change its role and drive the development of the industry chain.

Cui Yan, an analyst at Minsheng Securities, believes that BYD's underlying logic of "scale" and "inclusiveness" is likely to accelerate the equalization of intelligent driving, making intelligent driving features an important consideration for car buyers. The catfish effect may drive other car companies to catch up, officially starting the era of intelligent driving equality in China's automotive industry and promoting collaborative development of the industry chain.

The launch of the Lingyuan system is a key step for BYD in transitioning from "technological inclusiveness" to "experience innovation," while also expanding its technological circle of friends.

Wang Chuanfu stated at the press conference: "The cooperation between BYD and DJI is not just about putting a drone on the car; it starts from the underlying technology, designing and developing a complete vehicle integration system from 0 to 1, successfully achieving deep integration of the car and the drone, ultimately reaching the effect of 1+1>2."

The process of realization is precisely the timing to strengthen BYD's labels in intelligence and technology. Moreover, this process also makes BYD more open.

DJI, Huawei, and BYD form an iron triangle. DJI provides drone technology and imaging algorithms, Huawei contributes the QianKun Intelligent Driving ADS 3.0 system, which is equipped in the first model, the Equation Leopard 8 Drone Edition, while BYD integrates manufacturing and supply chain capabilities to achieve seamless collaboration between the vehicle, drone, and intelligent driving system.

This combination not only allows BYD to take the initiative in the "smart car+" ecosystem but also attracts more third-party developers to join through open cooperation (such as standardizing hangar interfaces). Wang Chuanfu refers to it as a "borderless technology circle of friends." The story is not just romantic, but also involves commercial considerations.

The expansion of application scenarios can enhance the overall selling price of the vehicle, further increasing the profit margin per vehicle; additionally, the route and scene data captured by drones may, in the future, feed back into autonomous driving algorithms; furthermore, the expansion of the ecosystem has also brought more commercial possibilities, such as extending to logistics and rescue in B-end scenarios through onboard drones.

However, the dynamic integration of drones and vehicles is a fresh attempt and will inevitably face some challenges in the future.

For example, the takeoff and landing of drones in high-speed scenarios and following shots may trigger disputes over traffic regulations; in many cities, there are numerous no-fly zones for drones, and as the number of drones increases, there may also be stricter regulatory requirements.

Moreover, if it becomes popular among users, competitors will quickly follow suit, and the first-mover advantage window for BYD may be relatively short. However, in the short term, the release of the Lingyuan system marks BYD's shift from "technology iteration" to "scene definition."

In the wave of evolution from "transportation tools" to "mobile spaces" in the automotive industry, BYD is attempting to leverage drones as a fulcrum to drive an upgrade in user experience competition.

Sample

Recently, a number of AI startups in Hangzhou, such as DeepSeek, have elevated the city to a pedestal, with claims that "Shenzhen has been surpassed by Hangzhou" occasionally surfacing.

Indeed, Shenzhen has shown signs of urgency. Today, Shenzhen released four plans at once, comprehensively deploying the development roadmap for artificial intelligence terminals and embodied intelligent robotics.

This deployment is a preparation for the future. However, the capabilities of Shenzhen's enterprises, as well as their collaborative abilities, are evident.

The strong partnership between BYD and DJI represents the collaboration among intelligent manufacturing enterprises in Shenzhen. DeepSeek demonstrates the ability to connect everything, and new collaborative relationships are forming among Shenzhen's enterprises, further assisting the city in becoming a hub for intelligent manufacturing.

Similar collaborations in the field of intelligent manufacturing are also occurring. Companies like BYD are now focusing on universal intelligent driving, and their massive sales provide more opportunities for suppliers in the industry chain. SuTong JuChuang, also located in Shenzhen, is one of the beneficiaries of this opportunity.

In the urgently deployed robotics sector in Shenzhen, a number of enterprises have already emerged, with UBTECH being one of the representatives. Public data shows that Shenzhen currently has 51,100 robot-related enterprises, maintaining the highest number in the country, with a total industrial chain output value exceeding 170 billion yuan.

Recently, UBTECH's embodied robot ZEEKR 5G smart factory conducted the world's first collaborative training for humanoid robots across multiple machines, scenarios, and tasks. As early as last year, BYD also collaborated with UBTECH, and its robots entered BYD's production workshop.

In addition, the low-altitude economy, which has been particularly hot since last year, is also a field where automotive companies and large manufacturers are making layouts, and Shenzhen is leading in pilot applications and regulatory policies.

As mentioned in the four documents above, talent is the core of industrial layout, and there should be strong support for cultivating enterprises to introduce and train high-level talents, encourage universities to establish interdisciplinary "new engineering" programs, and jointly train talents needed by enterprises, with subsidies provided based on the number of trained individuals In recent years, Shenzhen has introduced numerous research institutions and increased efforts to cultivate talent. At the same time, cooperation among enterprises has expanded talent collaboration and created possibilities for more connections.

In the cooperation between BYD and DJI mentioned above, Wang Chuanfu stated, "Achieving the docking of two relatively moving objects in dynamic changes is a global challenge. However, engineers from BYD and DJI, based on open data, have successfully overcome this difficulty after countless tests."

With strong enterprises and collaborative cooperation among them, Shenzhen will also be aided in its transformation from a "single industry champion" to a "system innovation hub." The triple overlap of "hard technology + manufacturing ecosystem + policy testing ground" has always given Shenzhen its own upward story