Exclusive | Video site Le Shi to grab in-car screens in partnership with Chinese carmarker
One of the most popular video-sharing websites in China is moving beyond the traditional media business by expanding into small in-car screens.
Le Shi, the operator of popular online video platform LeTV.com and a fast-growing investor in TV and movie productions, has inked a landmark partnership with state-owned BAIC Motor, one of China's top 10 biggest carmakers to make connected, smart electric cars, in the latest tie-up between mainland carmakers and internet firms.
The joint venture will unveil its in-car operating system next month that would allow users to access the internet entertainment firm’s content and applications, one of Le TV’s senior executives told the South China Morning Post in an interview.
We have made televisions, we are going to introduce our mobile phones, and having a supercar is an extension to our business
“We won’t be introducing our own car anytime soon, but we’ve been working on this new user interface that will be installed in some of BAIC Motor’s electric or new energy cars,” He Yi, chief executive of the Le Telematics joint venture, told the Post.
“We have made televisions, we are going to introduce our mobile phones, and having a supercar is an extension to our business. There are many screens, and we hope to let users have a fluid experience when they switch from one terminal to another,” he said.
“The first car that we will roll out in the future definitely won’t be a driverless car, but it will be a smart car capable of artificial intelligence, and it will run on electricity,” he said.
Le Shi’s He declined to reveal what functions the system would have, saying the details would be unveiled in the Shanghai Auto Show in April.