Artificial Intelligence Why "Doubao" is Making Its Way into the Chinese Mercedes CLA

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ByteDance's AI agent "Doubao" is set to enhance the smart cockpit in the new electric Mercedes CLA for the Chinese market—it is part of a larger technology offensive in the Middle Kingdom.

Mercedes-Benz is enhancing its new car models in China with artificial intelligence from ByteDance. Both companies announced on September 23 that they are expanding a "strategic partnership" that began in 2023. The partnership with TikTok's parent company is Stuttgart's latest attempt to catch up as quickly as possible in the area of "automotive intelligence" with a little assistance from China.

AI from ByteDance, including the popular Chatbot Doubao in China, is set to be used in the cockpit of new Mercedes models. Initially, it aims to improve the interaction between driver and car in the new all-electric CLA, a vehicle specifically developed for China, scheduled to be launched this fall. Later, other models could follow.

The AI of the Chinese technology group is also intended to help Mercedes-Benz catch up with the rapidly advancing Chinese competition like Aito, Nio, or Li Auto—by improving ADAS driving assistance, providing digital tools for research & development, as well as in marketing and customer management.

Almost All Chinese People Have An AI Agent on their Phone

In China, generative AI is already being used in everyday life as intensively as in hardly any other country. It is not just "nerds" or highly skilled "knowledge workers" who are familiar with the Chinese equivalents of ChatGPT. Instead, from elementary school students to retirees, everyone in the People's Republic now has an AI agent on their smartphone.

96.2 percent of all Chinese already use Doubao from ByteDance, DeepSeek, or Yuanbao from Tencent, according to a recent report by the "Tencent Research Institute." 67.7 percent of respondents in a recent survey stated that they do so daily.

While these figures could be questioned because Tencent is simultaneously promoting its own AI agent, the use of generative AI in everyday Chinese life is undeniably evident. There is hardly a situation in which the Chinese do not quickly "just ask Doubao" or "just ask Deepseek," as they say. In third place in this ranking is Yuanbao from Tencent.

So That the Cockpit in the Car Also Becomes Smarter

Then, of course, users of these digital innovations also want the car's cockpit and its navigation capabilities to become a bit smarter. Through its partnership with ByteDance, Mercedes-Benz gains improved access in its cars to ByteDance's content ecosystems, including platforms like Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok), the news platform Jinri Toutiao, or "Xigua" (meaning "Watermelon" in English), another popular video platform.

All of this will be accessible to drivers through a well-functioning voice control system, just like on many Chinese phones. In China, hardly anyone types on their phone anymore because speaking is so much faster.

Additionally, the AI is intended to help the smart cockpit in German luxury sedans improve gradually by learning the drivers' usage habits and becoming increasingly helpful. The AI agent can also recognize four emotional states of the drivers and adapt accordingly, as well as distinguish between dialects—whether it already understands Swabian is not known.

A Lot is at Stake for Mercedes

For Mercedes-Benz, much depends on such technology partnerships in China. In the world's largest car market, Chinese automakers have pulled so far ahead of their foreign competitors, first in electrification and now in intelligence, that a completely new understanding of luxury is emerging, and the sales of German premium manufacturers Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi are increasingly declining.

The Stuttgart-based company is trying to become both "smarter" and "more Chinese" through Chinese AI or even Chinese ADAS products from Momenta. Mercedes' R&D team in Shanghai and Beijing now consists of more than 2,000 employees and is working feverishly to revitalize the somewhat outdated but still highly lucrative brand image in the People's Republic.

"The new CLA launches the strongest product and technology offensive by Mercedes-Benz in China in the coming years," Oliver Thöne, a board member of the Mercedes-Benz Group responsible for China, had already stated in interviews some time ago. "Our goal is to continue working with Chinese partners to develop products that best meet the needs of Chinese users—with 'China speed' and according to 'China standards'."

Strong Expansion of Collaboration With ByteDance

The recently improved partnership began for Mercedes-Benz back in 2023, when the cloud services of ByteDance's business unit "Volcano Engine" were introduced into the cars with the star. Now, the cooperation in the cockpit is being expanded, and greater use is being made of the Chinese partner's AI for collaboration along large parts of the value chain.

In R&D, for example, ByteDance is set to support the new "DevOps" platform of the Chinese R&D team, aimed at accelerating software development. Mercedes-Benz also intends to rely on ByteDance for assistance in digital marketing and other functions, according to the company's own statements.

The new China CLA will not only feature a Chinese ADAS system (from Momenta) but also include Doubao from ByteDance in the cockpit. "The soul of Mercedes-Benz has become Chinese," writes the Chinese e-car portal Zhinengche Cankao. It also states that only the hardware now comes from Germany.

That likely goes a bit too far for the Stuttgart-based company. They always emphasize that all innovations are developed "in China and Germany" together to meet strict quality requirements.

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