Since Xiaomi, Huawei and other mobile phone manufacturers have entered the field of smart cars, many car companies have begun to enter the field of mobile phones to jointly create a multi-terminal interconnection ecosystem. Recently, rumors about Weilai's intention to enter the mobile phone industry have been rampant. According to relevant sources, Weilai Automobile's mobile phone business is determined to be done, and the current smartphone team in Shenzhen has begun to recruit research and development personnel.
In this regard, Weilai responded that there is no information to disclose at present, and further information will be communicated with everyone. And Brother Ruan feels that the official did not directly deny the rumors of making mobile phones, and the response is somewhat ambiguous, which also increases the accuracy of the news that Weilai personally made mobile phones. For the field of mobile phones, Weilai Automobile is undoubtedly an outsider, and it is a layman who is completely out of line. Just as the so-called interlacing is like a mountain, it is inevitable that people will wonder: can Weilai car work?
In the field of mobile phones, the "courtesy exchanges" of car companies
The fact that Weilai Automobile's mobile phone can attract so much attention is actually related to Li Shufu's announcement that Geely will build mobile phones with great fanfare. At the end of September last year, 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 and positioning high-end services worldwide. In January this year, Xingji Times (Geely's mobile phone company) was revealed to be negotiating an acquisition with Meizu, with a transaction amount of 10 billion yuan and is currently in the due diligence stage.
In fact, Weilai's mobile phone business was planned in the middle of last year, and before Xiaomi announced the car, and the project is currently in the initial debugging stage. Li Bin also recruited Yin Shuijun, the former president of Meitu Mobile Phone, to be responsible for the mobile phone project. Allegedly, "Weilai refuses to build mobile phones in the form of OEM, and will take its own downside to build mobile phones from 0." NIO mobile phone and NIO car can realize interactive functions including file mutual transmission, ARVR resource projection, NOMI voice assistant and so on. ”
In addition to Geely Automobile and Weilai Automobile, Tesla has also been exposed to its intention to enter the field of smart phones, and even began to spread the renderings of Tesla mobile phones on the Internet. Although it was later confirmed that tesla mobile phone renderings are self-made design works by foreign netizens, Musk hinted in an interview that Tesla is ready to enter the mobile phone industry and claims to take Apple as a rival to achieve permanent free Internet access for users.
Before xiaomi, Huawei, Sony, Apple and other technology companies have announced to cut into the new energy vehicle track, and now Geely, Weilai and Tesla as the representative of the car companies have also entered the hinterland of mobile phone manufacturers, somewhat "door to door kick" feeling. Whether it is a mobile phone manufacturer or a car company, the two will rub more sparks into each other's fields, which may bring unexpected surprises to the market.
What "abacus" is played?
Regardless of whether the media exposed the truth or falsity of Weilai Automobile's mobile phones, let's first analyze why more and more car companies have suddenly stepped into unfamiliar fields and gone to build mobile phones. In fact, it is not difficult to understand, with the continuous improvement of the degree of intelligence of cars, the current car is no longer a simple means of transportation, but began to shift to a mobile intelligent terminal. Car companies hope to open up mobile phones and car machines, provide owners with a zero barrier interconnection ecology, and create their own intelligent ecological chain.
In the future, cars and mobile phones will become the terminal and entrance of consumers' smart lives, and their intersection is constantly superimposed. Geely Group has said that the smart phone project and the intelligent strategy of the car will work closely together and work together to provide users with a multi-screen interactive experience of the Internet of Everything. Li Shufu himself has also said that the purpose of making mobile phones is not to simply build mobile phones, but to create intelligent Internet of Things that belong to Geely with the help of mobile phones.
In addition, at present, the car machine system of many car companies is not perfect, and the car companies can better adapt the system of deepening the mobile phone to the car machine. Of course, car companies can not only make mobile phones interoperable and adapt the car machine system and the mobile phone system, but also improve their own software research and development strength. At present, the main engine manufacturer's car engine program is packaged to a third-party company to complete, if the main engine factory has its own mobile phone department, it can play a role in promoting the development of soft power. As software-defined cars have become the consensus of all parties, whoever has the right to speak in terms of software and hardware capabilities in the future will be able to occupy a favorable position in the market competition.
It is easy to make mobile phones, but it is "difficult" to sell mobile phones
Car companies make mobile phones, is the odds of winning? This can not give a clear answer at present, but it can be clear that mobile phones are very competitive industries, and the head is becoming more and more serious, the entire mobile phone market is basically occupied by Apple, Samsung, Millet, OPPO, Glory and other manufacturers, leaving little room for other mobile phone brands to live, let alone just cross-border car companies.
Previously, there have also been some examples of cross-border mobile phones made by giants in other fields, such as Gree mobile phones. As early as 2015, Gree has launched a number of mobile phones, but the sales of each one are "miserable". However, Dong Mingzhu is still insisting on making mobile phones, because she believes that mobile phones will be a platform for connecting various home appliances and devices and collecting data in the future, and this smart home entrance must be taken away.
In fact, the idea of many car companies to make mobile phones is similar to Gree mobile phones, all in order to create a smart ecology, hoping to control the entrance of mobile phones in their own hands as soon as possible. And Gree mobile phone has invested a lot of manpower and material resources so far has not seen significant improvement, then like Weilai Automobile, Geely Automobile and other car companies to make mobile phones, what are the chances of winning?
Brother Yuan believes that Geely Automobile, Weilai Automobile and other car companies rely on the advantages of capital, brand influence, etc., it is not difficult to build a mobile phone across borders, but it is not easy to do a good job and occupy a place in the mobile phone market. Therefore, Geely should use Gree as a "negative teaching material", re-find the positioning and playing style, and improve its success rate. However, Geely is originally a diversified group enterprise, and it is also quite experienced in cross-border aspects, which is still worth looking forward to. As for Weilai Automobile, its current mobile phone is only a rumor, the authenticity of this news can not be known for the time being, can only wait for further official disclosure.
In the auto market, Weilai Automobile has been surrounded by strong enemies, in the more intense and mature mobile phone market is also a lot of challenges, if weilai mobile phone can not do very good, it is difficult to let users deliberately buy the mobile phone made by Weilai. In any case, these car companies cross-border is not a "whim", it must be the result of careful consideration, they are only now starting to build mobile phones, the future of things is not easy to say, in case it really succeeds. In short, in the era of the Internet of Everything, smart entrance is very important, how to define the relationship between mobile phones and smart cars, for car companies is a new test.