Ford wants Tencent to tailor its popular chatting app, WeChat, for the firm's cars in China, as automakers in the world's largest market vie for drivers who care about hi-tech features as much as they do about engine specifications.
Rivals including Daimler and Nissan are also looking at ways to give drivers safe, hands-free access to mobile apps in China, home to the world's highest number of smartphone users. WeChat is China's most prevalent chatting app, with about half a billion active monthly users.
"There's a demand from our customers," said David Huang, a senior engineer who heads Ford's Asia Pacific connected services unit. "People want to stay connected, stay informed and stay entertained all the time, even when they're driving."
Ford is in talks with Tencent over the business aspects of putting the app in its cars, Huang said. Tencent declined to comment.
Cars are becoming a key battleground for technology industry giants like Google and Apple, as they seek to develop a market where drivers will be online while on the road. China could be on the frontline of this battle, as the majority of first-time car buyers in the country are also early adopters who understand more about ICTs than motor technology.
Huang said Ford envisages drivers syncing their phone to the car's software system and controlling specific WeChat functions, chosen by Tencent and then certified by Ford as safe, through voice commands or limited use of buttons.
Making WeChat and other apps convenient, safe and legal to use while driving could help automakers gain market share in China, especially as auto sales growth eases in a slowing economy. Yale Zhang, MD of Shanghai-based consultancy Automotive Foresight, said connectivity was a key deciding factor for Chinese customers buying a car. "Those kind of things are the fundamental things people will consider," he added.
Many Chinese use WeChat's free voice messaging feature instead of phone calls, holding up their smartphones like walkie-talkies as they speak, tap and listen to replies. Many even do so while driving, breaking a 2004 traffic law that bans any behaviour that hinders safe driving.
"In a car, if you had software that can sync with your WeChat, that would be very useful," said Mao Yanan, a Beijing resident who admits to holding her phone to use the app while driving.
Other automakers are also eyeing apps and online services. In August, General Motors and Tencent launched a platform for GM owners to use WeChat to find a nearby dealership or send the location of their car to a friend.
Nissan wants the app in its cars at some point, a spokesperson said. Daimler, which owns the Mercedes-Benz brand popular in China, is also researching how to include apps and services from Tencent and rivals Baidu and Alibaba in its cars, said the company's China head, Hubertus Troska.
"The race is on, very clearly," Troska told reporters in Beijing last week.
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