According to media reports, on August 19th, ByteDance's Volcano Engine announced the official rollout of the Doubao large-scale model on Tesla's vehicle system in China, with these features gradually being made available to Tesla owners.

The emergence of this collaboration

Not only signifies Tesla's trust in Chinese manufacturers for a substantial part of the passenger experience but also highlights the formation of a technological alliance centered around keywords like 'automotive intelligence' and 'localization,' unfolding right before our eyes.

The Origin of the Doubao-Tesla Connection

Chronologically, the relationship between Tesla and Doubao dates back to August 2025.

At that time, as other manufacturers' mass-produced models began integrating with local large-scale models, Tesla's 'globally unified solution' faced challenges in understanding the Chinese language context and providing localized services.

To enhance the user experience, Tesla formally established a technological partnership with Volcano Engine, focusing on two major areas: vehicle voice systems and smart cockpit interaction.

Progressing into 2026,

Initially, Tan Dai, President of Volcano Engine, shared that the Doubao large-scale model was among the top-tier in smart car adoption, revealing Tesla as one of their key cooperation partners. Subsequently, at the Volcano Engine FORCE Conference in June, media outlets confirmed that Tesla would integrate the Doubao model, officially transitioning the collaboration from the 'leak' and 'reveal' stages to the publicity phase.

Focusing on the '2026.14.13' vehicle software update announced by Tesla China earlier,

(The '2026.14.13' update encompasses four main models: Model 3, Model Y, Model S, and Model X, with priority given to Model 3 and Model Y equipped with AMD processors.)

We observe that Doubao appears as a standalone app in the new version of Tesla's vehicle system. Users can activate Doubao for voice interaction by 'long-pressing the scroll wheel button on the right side of the steering wheel' or 'launching it from the system page' to initiate communication.

Furthermore, the 'Vehicle Voice Assistant Terms of Use' on the official website state that the Doubao large-scale model will respond to 'control voice commands' for adjusting air conditioning temperature, setting navigation, and controlling media playback within the vehicle.

AI in Cars Enters Version 2.0

'Previous vehicle interactions were subpar. Voice commands had to be memorized, and most apps were phone adaptations that didn't fit well with the car screen, making operation dangerous and tiring while driving,'

commented Yang Liwei, Vice President of Volcano Engine, when discussing the concept of 'AI in cars.'

In his view, AI in cars exhibits distinct phased characteristics. Initially, people needed to adapt to AI, striving to coexist harmoniously with this new companion in the driving space.

However, as data accumulates and functions mature, the focus of AI in cars swiftly shifts to making AI adapt to people in the second phase.

During this phase, users no longer need to choose their words carefully when interacting with AI. They can interrupt, chime in at any time, and even issue complex commands while casually chatting with AI.

'If you feel stuffy in the car while driving and ask AI to open the window, initially AI will only open it fully. But if you close the window partially and turn on seat ventilation, the next time the same scenario occurs, AI will automatically remember this combination and adjust it for you directly,'

explained Yang.

Returning to the Tesla-Volcano Engine collaboration,

Keyword searches reveal that, in addition to the 'control voice interactions' reported by the media, Volcano Engine promotes the integration with slogans like 'When in doubt, ask the 'co-pilot,'' 'Your Tesla can chat better now,' and 'Can chat, have fun, understand you.'

Benefiting from the end-to-end voice interaction architecture, Tesla with Doubao onboard has broken free from the walkie-talkie-style communication experience of 'question and answer.' Doubao can dynamically respond to users' emotions, proactively find topics, and chime in without repeated wake-ups, further enhancing the 'human-like' interaction.

This embodies the core characteristic of 'AI in Cars 2.0' mentioned by Yang Liwei.

Tesla and Its 'Musk-Approved Selection'

In 2019, during an interview with MotorTrend magazine, Musk stated that the automotive industry had long had competitors capable of rivaling the Model S. However, the real challenge for Tesla was to 'find ways to make you fall in love with this car.' He criticized competitors for merely piling on features, resulting in products that lacked 'soul.'

Although these remarks seemed abstract and even had a touch of 'artistic flair' at the time,

It cannot be denied that during Tesla's market expansion, a significant portion of consumers were drawn to the 'tech-savvy symbol' or 'corporate culture' behind Tesla. For these individuals, purchasing a Tesla meant more than just buying an electric vehicle; it was an identification with future travel methods and a yearning for concepts like smart interaction and AI.

From Grok to FSD, this reflects Musk's technological vision and also constitutes the technological moat of related products.

From a product perspective, on one hand, Grok's servers are located overseas, and concepts like algorithm filing and data flow require stringent scrutiny. On the other hand, Grok's training context is in English. Even if it can understand Mandarin without issues, adapting to various dialects and regional communication logics (such as inverted sentences in Shandong) demands significant time and effort for localization.

However, it is now 2026.

The rapid development of domestic automotive companies has established a smart passenger ecosystem that is both excellent and differentiated. Even if Tesla intends to deeply refine Grok, the market may not afford it sufficient time.

Under these circumstances, choosing reliable cooperation partners and leveraging mature ecological forces to address potential 'shortcomings' has naturally become a highly cost-effective strategy.

Correspondingly,

For Volcano Engine and Doubao, collaborating with Tesla signifies that their technological prowess has been recognized and even strongly demanded by international enterprises (it is rumored that Musk himself was involved in selecting Tesla China's AI). As localized AI capabilities become a pivotal factor influencing the future trajectory of a product or even a brand, becoming 'Musk-Approved Selection' is undoubtedly a landmark event for Volcano Engine and Doubao in establishing an 'international partner matrix.'

References:

Jiemian News: Volcano Engine Announces Tesla's Official Integration of Doubao, Now Being Gradually Rolled Out

Shangguan News: Tesla's Integration of Doubao Is No Surprise; 'Shanghai Model, Shanghai Car' Accelerates; The World's First AI-Native Vehicle to Be Released Soon

Securities Times e-Company: Doubao 'Enters' Tesla; Domestic Large-Scale Models Move Towards a New Stage of 'Global Industrial Demand'

36Kr: Through 'Musk-Approved Selection,' 'Doubao' Fills Tesla's Only Gap

Tencent Technology: Musk's Latest Interview Transcript: Competitors' Cars 'Lack Soul'