Chinese automaker BYD announced on Tuesday that it will raise the price of its DiPilot 300 assisted-driving system by 21%, from 9,900 yuan to 12,000 yuan. The new price takes effect Friday due to a sharp rise in global memory chip and storage hardware costs, the company said [1].
The DiPilot 300 system features lidar sensors and depends heavily on memory chips for data buffering, processing, and storage. Caroline Chen, an analyst with TrendForce, explained that high-end cars require advanced components like lidar, multichannel high-pixel cameras, and millimeter-wave radar, all of which need high-performance chips paired with large-capacity, high-bandwidth memory [1].
Kevin Li, associate director at Counterpoint Research, said the price increases will mainly affect mid-range car models, as they are more price-sensitive. High-end buyers tend to be less affected by such changes. Low-end models generally do not include these costly technology packages [1].
Li also noted that the price hikes for memory chips are spreading across more consumer electronics, including tablets and virtual reality headsets. ByteDance’s virtual reality unit Pico plans to raise wholesale prices starting July 1 because of rising memory costs and supply chain issues, signaling a broader impact on related technology sectors [1].
BYD attributed the DiPilot 300 price hike directly to "the sharp rise in global storage hardware costs," emphasizing supply pressures on these critical chip components. The move highlights how increasing hardware costs are influencing pricing in automotive assisted driving systems.
The DiPilot 300 price increase comes into effect on Friday, May 8, marking an immediate adjustment as global memory chip prices stay elevated. Meanwhile, the expected price rises in the consumer electronics segment will take effect from July 1 with Pico’s VR headset price adjustments.
