Polestar, a Swedish electric vehicle manufacturer, has just partnered with Xingji Meizu, a mobile phone and consumer electronics company, to form a joint venture to create a new operating system for Chinese EVs.
The electric vehicle manufacturing company has integrated Google's Android Automotive OS into the rest of the world to power its infotainment systems. However, Google is known to have a very small market in China, largely due to Beijing restricting its use.
Polestar Partners With Xingji Meizu
Xingji Meizu's founder Eric (Shufu) Li is also the founder and chairman of Chinese auto giant Geely. Over the last decade, the former has tried to become a Chinese rival to Android, and its Flym Auto OS will be integrated into several electric vehicles, including Geely's Lynk & Co 08.
The CEO of Polestar, Thomas Ingenlath, said that Chinese is one of the fastest-growing electric vehicle markets globally. He added that it is also a market with very specific consumer trends, such as increasing levels of integration between consumer electronics devices and vehicles, as per TechCrunch.
He said that with the partnership with a company that has a strong complementary competence to Polestar, the latter would be able to offer the locally tailored user experience that both drivers and passengers expect to receive.
With the joint venture, the two companies plan to develop Flyme Auto further and turn it into a seamless operating system used by Polestar EVs sold in China. It would include in-car applications, streaming services, and intelligence vehicle software.
The electric vehicle manufacturer also hinted that it was planning to build a digital ecosystem including mobile and augmented reality devices. Polestar, also under Geely, expects to transfer around 130 commercial staff in China to the new company. It would solely handle Polestar sales and service in the Asian nation.
The Swedish company added that it would own 49% of the joint venture while the remaining 51% would go to Xingji Meizu, which equates to roughly $98 million and $102 million in funding, respectively, according to Reuters.
A New Operating System for Chinese Electric Vehicles
Ingenlath said that he expects the new software they develop to quickly be integrated into the company's vehicles in China while the Google Auto system available in cars sold outside of China will remain the same.
Chinese EV makers have pressured traditional carmakers after the former started offering lower prices and smart consumer-facing technologies. The Polestar CEO said that they struggled to be competitive in that sort of environment.
Ziyu Shen, the chairman of Xingji Meizu, said that the future would be enabled by integrated devices and platforms capable of delivering an immersive experience for end users. The official added that Polestar could use his company's technology to lead smart mobility.
On the other hand, Ford CEO Jim Farley said it would be interesting to see how customers are no longer attracted to traditional luxury brands with electric vehicles or even hardware design, said Electrek.
