Audi has entered into partnerships with Chinese tech companies including Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent to develop solutions for connected cars of the future.
Audi’s Chinese division and First Automobile Works (FAW)-Volkwagen have signed three separate memorandums of understanding (MOU) in Shanghai, China.
The partners will work in the areas of data analysis, building a platform for internet-vehicle and an urban intelligent transport.
Audi says that this partnership will be supported by its large research and development facility in China, where key future technologies such as connected car, piloted driving, new energy vehicles and digital services are being developed and tested.
The partnership with Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent will each focus on the development of certain areas.
Alibaba will provide Audi vehicles with data of integrated traffic updates in real time and the first premium manufacturer in China to offer high-resolution 3D maps.
Under the partnership with Baidu, Audi will launch Baidu CarLife in its local model lineup in 2017, where a seamless integration will take place between Baidu’s apps and customer’s digital devices and their cars.
Audi is currently working with Tencent to provide an integrated WeChat MyCar services into several of its models. WeChat is a one of Asia’s leading communications services app with over 700 million active users. The features to be integrated are location and music sharing.
Furthermore, the company has plans to make 4G LTE technology as a standard for mobile communications.
Audi China president Joachim Wedler said: “China has become an important lead market for digital technologies. Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent are strong innovators.
"We are determined to work with them on features for the connected car of the future.”
