BEIJING: Shares in Chinese automaker BYD jumped on Tuesday after it unveiled plans to unroll advanced self-driving technology on nearly all its cars, including budget models priced below $10,000.

The company also said it would integrate AI startup Deepseek`s software into its cars, following domestic peers such as Geely, Great Wall Motors, and Leapmotor. BYD is Tesla`s biggest rival in China and increasingly abroad, and Monday evening`s announcement led analysts to suggest a new price war might be on the horizon.BYD will install its autonomous driving system in at least 21 models, including the Seagull budget hatchback priced from 69,800 yuan ($9,550). The system includes features such as remote parking and autonomous highway navigation previously found on more expensive vehicles.

Tesla has similar features available in its EVs priced from $32,000.

`Autonomous driving is no longer a remote rarity, it`s a... necessary tool, BYD founder Wang Chuanfu said at a livestreamed event on Monday.-AFP