Mobile phone manufacturers cross-border car manufacturing, automobile manufacturers out of the circle to build mobile phones. I have to say that this track is getting more and more lively.
Recently, it is reported that Weilai intends to enter the mobile phone industry, and the project is currently in the initial stage of research, and is recruiting personnel for this purpose, working in Shenzhen Qianhai Excellence.
At the same time, the message also pointed out that the model of Weilai basically excludes the possibility of OEM, the high probability is to do their own mobile phone, the mobile phone will have a lot of interactive functions with Weilai car, such as mobile phone & car machine file mutual transmission, AR, VR resource projection, NOMI voice assistant mobile version.
Image source: Weilai
In this regard, Weilai responded that there is no information to disclose at present, and further information will be communicated with everyone.
In fact, there is a precedent for automakers to lay out mobile phone business. The emergence of the tide of intelligent and networked reform has greatly enriched the application scenarios of automobiles, so that there are many possibilities for interconnection and interoperability of automobiles and mobile phones.
Li Shufu, chairman of Geely Holding Group, once pointed out that the mobile phone business has far-reaching significance for the entire Geely automobile industry. The better development of mobile phones can bring better development of car machines, and the better development of car machines can promote the continuous improvement of the level of intelligent cockpits, which can help the competitiveness of smart electric vehicles to continue to improve.
In short, mobile phones, and more specifically the ecosystem built around mobile phones, will be a key part of enhancing the core competitiveness of smart electric vehicles in the future, which also makes Geely finally decide to enter the mobile phone track. In September 2021, Hubei Xingji Times Technology Co., Ltd., founded by Li Shufu, signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone, officially announcing its entry into the field of mobile phones. The total investment of the project is more than 10 billion yuan, positioning the high-end smart phone market.
Image source: Geely Auto
Li Shufu pointed out that the mobile phone is a rapid iteration of portable mobile terminals, is the electronic product market verification and software innovation application carrier, not only allow users to share the innovative results as soon as possible, but also can transfer a safe and reliable part of the results to the car application, to achieve close interaction between the car machine and mobile phone software technology.
In the future, cross-border to build a user ecological chain, according to the law to build a corporate moat has become a major trend, mobile phones can link the Internet of Vehicles, satellite Internet, to create a rich consumption scenario, to strengthen the ecosystem, to provide users with a more convenient, more intelligent, Internet of Everything multi-screen interactive life experience.
It is reported that in order to better develop the mobile phone business, Geely's mobile phone company Xingji Times has even contacted Meizu. At the beginning of this year, there were rumors that Geely negotiated an acquisition with Meizu and had entered the due diligence stage, but it was not confirmed by both sides.
For the rumors, Geely responded that it "does not comment", and Meizu replied that "thank you for your concern for Meizu Technology, there is no relevant news at present." However, it is precisely because the attitude of both sides is not sure and does not deny, but also left a lot of imagination space for this cooperation."
Tesla has also been exposed to be interested in entering the field of smart phones, and before foreign media even exposed a set of renderings of so-called "Tesla mobile phones", which attracted widespread attention. However, Whether Tesla will eventually build mobile phones is unknown, and it is certain that Tesla has realized the importance of building a user ecology like Geely.
Image source: Tesla
Recently, it is reported that Tesla may be developing an apple-like app store, which allows car owners to download and install applications by themselves, thereby creating a software and hardware ecological chain of Tesla's own brand. In addition, Teslascope, a media outlet that follows Tesla's development, also said that since May last year, Tesla has carried out preparatory work to develop an app store.
If the rumors are true, in the future, through the app store, Tesla is expected to attract more developers to develop more suitable for in-vehicle use programs, while enriching the user driving experience, further enhance the stickiness with end users, while greatly increasing software revenue, truly build a hardware and software two-handed business model, and achieve a new subversion of the traditional car model.