Recently, news about ByteDance and Sailisi's overseas automotive collaborations has been a bit chaotic. Let's clarify the true situation.

ByteDance remains committed to the non-automotive route. Volcano Engine has explicitly stated—no manufacturing of complete vehicles, no autonomous driving business, only providing AI and cloud services. Overseas expansion also follows this approach, focusing on delivering intelligent solutions and avoiding heavy asset investments.

Sailisi is ByteDance's most core partner overseas, but the scope of cooperation is quite clear. The Doubao large model will be integrated into vehicles, with mass production planned for 2026 in the Middle East and Europe markets, offering multimodal interactions (supporting voice, visual, and gesture controls), including features like route planning and passenger status recognition. Additionally, there is joint development of embodied intelligence, with both parties working together on multimodal cloud-edge collaborative robot decision-making and control technology. This cooperation has no fixed timeline. During the technology definition phase, ByteDance also participates by defining and optimizing in-vehicle sensor parameters to prepare for the 2026 vehicle models.

It’s important to note that these collaborations are limited to the technological level and do not involve equity stakes or deep manufacturing ties. Sailisi’s overseas brand remains independent, with ByteDance only providing intelligent solutions on a technology service fee basis.

ByteDance’s collaborations are not limited to Sailisi. Mercedes-Benz’s pure electric CLA is equipped with the Doubao large model, targeting the global market. GAC also benefits from Volcano Engine’s overseas marketing and digital platform support, including multilingual translation and cross-border data compliance. Overall, ByteDance is exploring the deployment of AI large models in the global automotive market through various partners.

Why is Sailisi able to become ByteDance’s core overseas partner? The key reason is strategic complementarity. Sailisi focuses on its own brand overseas but lacks the halo effect like Huawei, so it urgently needs AI-driven differentiation to break through. ByteDance, on the other hand, needs real-world scenarios overseas to validate the effectiveness of large models in automotive applications. Sailisi’s factories in Hungary and Mexico can provide manufacturing support. Since October last year, both parties have signed embodied intelligence cooperation agreements, and by the end of October, the plan to integrate Doubao large model into vehicles was confirmed. The collaboration has progressed quite rapidly. From a marketing perspective, ByteDance’s TikTok global traffic pool also helps Sailisi with localized promotion.

Comparing Huawei and Sailisi’s问界 (AITO) model reveals the differences. Huawei offers full-stack intelligent solutions with deep integration (autonomous driving, cockpit, marketing all included). The问界 brand is managed within Huawei’s ecosystem, mainly for the domestic market. ByteDance provides AI technology empowerment and joint development, while Sailisi handles overseas sales of its own brand. Both operate on a technology service fee model and do not share vehicle profits. The advantage of this approach is that Sailisi can pursue dual technological routes—Huawei and ByteDance—serving different product lines, with market complementarity rather than conflict.

Looking ahead, by 2026, Sailisi’s overseas models will be the first mass-produced vehicles equipped with the Doubao large model, emphasizing differentiated AI interaction experiences. ByteDance will continue expanding collaborations with other automakers, but Sailisi remains a benchmark for deep joint development. Other partnerships are mainly focused on technological empowerment. This collaboration will not affect the relationship between Sailisi and Huawei; both sides will perform their respective roles—collaborating when needed and maintaining independence when appropriate.