Huawei and Volkswagen plan to collaborate for car connectivity, unveiling technology that integrates smartphone functions with vehicle-mounted systems.
At the International Consumer Electronics Show Asia in Shanghai last week, Huawei and Volkswagen jointly demonstrated a series of apps that safely allow drivers to use GPS navigation systems, play music, send and receive messages, and make phone calls while behind the wheel.
The apps support MirrorLink - an open technology standard designed to maximise interoperability between smartphones and vehicle-mounted systems. They cover multiple services including phone calls, SMS, navigation, multimedia, and payment - all centred on smartphones.
Sven Patuschka, executive VP for research and development of Volkswagen Group China, says the car manufacturer's cooperation with Huawei will "seamlessly blend the capabilities of users' smartphones with the systems in their cars".
All content on the phone will be shown in real-time on the car's infotainment touch-screen, he adds.
Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer Business Group, says vehicles are turning out to be "the largest mobile smart terminals".
The first locally produced Volkswagen model equipped with MirrorLink is the Lamando, followed by the Golf 7. More models will follow. All imported Volkswagen products from the model year 2016 will be equipped with MirrorLink.
The Volkswagen Group delivered more than 10 million vehicles to customers worldwide last year. Volkswagen entered China almost 32 years ago and, today, China is its biggest market. In 2014, Volkswagen Passenger Cars delivered 2.76 million cars to Chinese customers.
Meanwhile, the sales revenue of Huawei Consumer Business Group last year was $12.1 billion, breaking the $10 billion mark for the first time, with year-on-year growth of 32.6%. Huawei says it is seeking cooperation with cross-industry partners to "build open and integrated standards for a range of consumer goods".
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