BMW’s iX electrical SUV in China was the primary international automotive model to embody the auto model of Tencent’s WeChat messaging app, in accordance to the Chinese tech company.
Tencent
BEIJING — Chinese web large Tencent wants to promote know-how which the company says will assist foreign automakers that need to promote automobiles in China’s huge electrical automobile market.
BMW and a few U.S. automakers are already working with Tencent, Liu Shuquan, vice chairman of Tencent Intelligent Mobility, which is a part of Tencent’s cloud enterprise. Speaking to CNBC on Friday, he declined to specify which American carmakers it is working with.
In a transfer aimed toward serving to increase its worldwide technique, Liu’s staff launched a brand new cloud computing product for automakers referred to as the “Tencent Intelligent Automobile Cloud” on Friday.
The all-in-one cloud product — additionally accessible for home automakers — can cowl all technological facets of an electrical automotive, the company claimed. Those options vary from storing information in a manner optimized for coaching autonomous driving programs, to giving drivers entry to Tencent’s social media and map apps.
The person interface could be a promoting level for China’s drivers contemplating how Tencent dominates an array of the highest on-line leisure apps in China.
The company has performed the function of Facebook in China with its ubiquitous WeChat messaging, funds and social media app — one thing tech rivals Baidu and Alibaba have but to come shut to.
In leisure, Tencent has different apps as effectively: QQ Music, one of many two predominant Spotify-like apps in China; Tencent Video, which provides on-demand streaming content material together with actuality reveals and animated sequence; in addition to well-liked cellular video games like Honor of Kings.
Tencent Maps is the third most-popular navigation app in Apple’s App retailer in China — the highest two belong to its key rivals Alibaba and Baidu.
All automobiles letting passengers or drivers entry Tencent apps from the automobile’s platforms want to have an settlement with Tencent, Liu mentioned.
Those app-level partnerships began in 2018, across the similar time Tencent Cloud started working with automakers for autonomous driving providers, the company mentioned.
Adding extra self-driving tech
Players in China’s auto trade are more and more betting that native drivers will need extra autonomous driving options, that are primarily assisted-driving capabilities due to regulation of present know-how.
Already in the primary quarter, 23% of latest automobiles offered in China got here with a restricted degree of assisted driving, referred to as “Level 2” in a classification system for autonomous driving, in accordance to Tencent.
With the brand new cloud computing product introduced final week, Liu mentioned abroad automotive firms may develop autos with navigation and assisted-driving options personalized for China’s roads and terrain.
“The data is owned by [the] OEM, the consumer,” Liu mentioned, referring to unique gear producers which give parts and elements for one other company’s product.
“We just provide cloud service to store that data. The second thing is we provide a whole ecosystem. That ecosystem not only include[s] our own service and content but also our partners’.”
Liu mentioned his company already companions with practically 40 auto manufacturers, together with BMW, SAIC and Nio, overlaying 120 automobile fashions. He additionally famous partnership talks with German and Japanese firms.
BMW didn’t instantly reply to a CNBC request for remark. SAIC and Nio representatives spoke at Friday’s launch occasion for the “Tencent Intelligent Automobile Cloud” product.
