BMW’s iX electrical SUV in China was the primary international automobile model to embody the auto model of Tencent’s WeChat messaging app, in accordance to the Chinese tech company.
Tencent
BEIJING — Chinese web big Tencent wants to promote expertise which the company says will assist foreign automakers that need to promote automobiles in China’s huge electrical car 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 geared toward serving to enhance its worldwide technique, Liu’s crew launched a brand new cloud computing product for automakers known as the “Tencent Intelligent Automobile Cloud” on Friday.
The all-in-one cloud product — additionally out there for home automakers — can cowl all technological facets of an electrical automobile, the company claimed. Those options vary from storing information in a approach optimized for coaching autonomous driving techniques, 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 essential Spotify-like apps in China; Tencent Video, which affords on-demand streaming content material together with actuality exhibits and animated collection; 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 car’s platforms want to have an settlement with Tencent, Liu stated.
Those app-level partnerships began in 2018, across the identical time Tencent Cloud started working with automakers for autonomous driving companies, the company stated.
Adding extra self-driving tech
Players in China’s auto trade are increasingly betting that native drivers will need extra autonomous driving options, that are primarily assisted-driving capabilities due to regulation of present expertise.
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 stated abroad automobile 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 stated, referring to unique tools producers which give elements and components 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 stated his company already companions with almost 40 auto manufacturers, together with BMW, SAIC and Nio, protecting 120 car 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.
