A report today has revealed that Chinese automaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, with ownership and stakes in Volvo and Daimler, has signed a collaboration agreement with Tencent Holdings to develop smart vehicle cockpit and autonomous driving capabilities that could be deployed by the automaker for its smart cars.
There has been a motley of such collaborations and partnerships in the auto industry in recent times, as car manufacturers seek innovative ways to maintain their niche amidst a growing need for smart and autonomous vehicles across the world. In this fast-evolving and tech-driven sector, both companies are expected to work jointly to design and manufacture smart cockpits for cars, making them be more responsive to the dynamics of having greater mobile and mobility applications suitable for autonomous driving. The evolving technology could be deployed to the process already started by Geely to have EV manufacturing capacity.
Geely, of recent, has been entering partnerships with key industry leaders as it continues its plans to have manufacturing capacity for smart cars and autonomous vehicles. The partnership with Tencent is the third such entered by Geely. Tencent Holdings has stakes in electric vehicle manufacturers, Tesla and Nio, and is developing smart car technologies for wider applications.
Geely, earlier this month, had said it is planning to launch an electric vehicle manufacturing company with Baidu, and thereafter form a separate entity with Foxconn as an outsourcing vehicle manufacturing company for automakers who may need to outsource the assembling component of their manufacturing process.
Tencent Holdings Ltd, or Tencent for short, was formed in 1998 in China and has grown to become a multinational technology conglomerate and holding company. Its subsidiaries provide several internet-related products and niche services including entertainment, artificial intelligence, and several technology-based solutions.
(source)
