![[Image] Is Huawei's Smart Driving Worth 36,000 Yuan?](https://aito.best/uploads/images/4099cdf1f7a058a3434698396de2b308.png)
Source: https://www.autohome.com.cn/news/202606/1315263.html
Original · 0 views · 2026-06-24 17:31 · Beijing [Autohome Industry] Huawei's assisted driving is about to get a price hike! On June 22, Huawei Qiankun ADS Max advanced feature package underwent a price adjustment. The previously offered limited-time discount price of 32,000 yuan will expire at the end of this month, and starting July 1, it will revert to the standard price, meaning a one-time purchase will cost 36,000 yuan. Of course, models equipped with Huawei Qiankun ADS typically offer a 20,000 yuan discount on the advanced feature package. The extra 4,000 yuan isn't wasted, as it adds the ADS assisted driving peace-of-mind (accident liability coverage for assisted driving) benefit and the dual-map (AMap/Baidu Maps) free switching benefit. Just four days before Huawei announced the ADS price increase, NIO officially launched the industry's largest-scale synchronized upgrade of intelligent assisted driving, covering four platforms and over 700,000 vehicles, including the ET7 delivered in March 2022. NIO is also the first automaker in the industry to achieve co-development and synchronized release of intelligent driving across general-purpose chips and self-developed chip platforms. These two events are actually both related to one thing: "money"! When it comes to assisted driving and money, you probably have two questions in mind as well:
For example, when it comes to providing advanced driver assistance features like urban NOA, why do some companies offer them for free while others insist on charging? As a consumer, should I even buy a car with paid driver assistance? Today, let's get to the bottom of these questions! Free is easier to scale up In the eyes of some users, paying for driver assistance is nothing short of being a "sucker." Even though they understand the logic that "you get what you pay for," most car buyers still prefer the model where driver assistance is free. After all, the paid urban NOA features in some models aren't significantly better than the free versions offered by competitors. This is also one of the core reasons why most automakers choose to offer high-level driver assistance like highway NOA and urban NOA to users for free. In today's Chinese new energy vehicle market, competition has shifted from the electrification phase in the first half to the intelligent phase in the second half, and the experience of intelligent features has become a key factor influencing users' car purchase decisions. Free software features can alleviate users' concerns about spending money unnecessarily, helping to stimulate more consumers to buy cars and use driver assistance functions. For companies, more users not only means more data accumulation but also strengthens their smart brand image. Li Xiang, founder, chairman, and CEO of Li Auto, once stated
It shows that assisted driving "should be offered free of charge, allowing users to experience the technological allure brought by artificial intelligence."
Of course, some companies also choose to offer it for free because their assisted driving capabilities lag behind those of leading players. Free access can serve as a bargaining chip to attract users in competition within the relevant field.
Regardless of the reason, free access to assisted driving has become the mainstream in China's current automotive market.
Charging is more sustainable.
"Free access will bring disaster to China's intelligent driving industry."
Wu Yongqiao, President of Bosch Intelligent Driving and Control China, made this appeal because the "money-burning" nature of assisted driving is becoming increasingly extreme.
Today, companies that prioritize assisted driving often have software R&D teams of thousands or even tens of thousands of people, spending billions or even tens of billions of yuan annually on R&D. Many companies' annual revenue is only in the tens of billions.
The development of assisted driving also demands continuously growing data and computing power. XPeng has previously spent billions of yuan on computing cards. In 2026, Tesla announced plans to spend another $10 billion (approximately 67.8 billion yuan) on cards.