AI Voice Assistant on Chinese EVs — What Works, What Doesn't (2026)

Voice assistant is one of the most underrated but important features of Chinese EVs. BYD, AITO, Xiaomi and other Chinese brands come with built-in AI copilots comparable to Siri or Alexa. But out of the box they only speak Chinese. This article covers what Chinese AI can really do, how they can be "retrained", and what we do during localization.

Main voice assistants on Chinese EVs

Xiaoyi — Huawei

Installed on AITO, Avatr, and all HarmonyOS cars. One of the most advanced Chinese AI assistants. Can: full voice control of the car, POI search, calls, message reading, contextual conversations. Understands Chinese and basic English. Doesn't support other languages.

DiPilot Voice — BYD

BYD's own AI assistant. Installed on all modern BYD models (Han, Tang, Sealion, Leopard). Simpler than Xiaoyi but with open APIs — easier to retrain to other languages.

NIO Nomi

NIO's AI assistant — presented as a physical "ball" on the dashboard with emotions. One of the most iconic Chinese AIs. Command range similar to Xiaoyi.

What we do during voice assistant localization

Direct retraining of Xiaoyi/DiPilot to English/Arabic is impossible — they're hard-locked to Chinese. Our approach: keep the base assistant for basic system commands in English (Huawei/BYD/etc.), and add an independent AI layer in the target language alongside.

What our AI layer gives you

Understanding complex commands: "Open Google Maps and route home", "Call John and tell him I'll be late", "Find the nearest fast CCS charger". Works via integration with the car's base voice API + speech processing server.

Basic vs premium mode

Basic: works via internet, any commands, flexible (included in standard localization, 1 year free). Premium: works offline for basic commands, adds gesture recognition, integrates with Google Assistant / Siri, multi-user mode ($250 extra).

Real example — what you can say after localization

"Open YouTube and play RED TEAM channel". "Find a route to Dubai through Abu Dhabi and show gas stations". "Turn volume up 20%". "Set climate to 22 degrees and feet vents". "Call John and enable hands-free". "Find the nearest Italian restaurant with rating over 4.5". All of this works with our AI layer.

Limitations

What doesn't work even with localization: voice control of brand-specific functions (e.g. Denza N9's power door modes or Avatr's LiDAR settings). Reason — these are tied to proprietary protocols that can't be opened.

Also: voice assistant requires a SIM with internet for full functionality. Basic commands ("volume", "climate") work offline, but anything requiring search or online services — internet only.

Cost and timing

Basic voice-assistant localization is included in the standard localization package ($250-800 depending on model). No extra AI fee. Renewal after year one — $100/year.