On September 21, China's Nio unveiled a high-end smartphone designed to be used with its electric vehicles, touting a slew of related functions such as instructing the car to park itself.
The introduction of the Nio Phone, the world's first car-specific phone sold by a Chinese company, demonstrates the advanced state of EV technologies in the world's largest auto market, where electric vehicles now account for more than a third of vehicle sales.
A Nio driver can also use the phone to instruct their car to drive itself to their location (which is permitted in China in limited spaces and at low speeds) and to unlock the car even when the phone is turned off.
According to CEO William Li, the Nio Phone has more than 30 car-specific functions and has pioneered new connection technologies.
"I believe that many of our competitors will learn from our smartphone innovations, and I welcome them to do so," he said.
Three models are available, with prices ranging from 6,499 yuan (US$890) to 7,499 yuan. For the time being, the phone will only be available in China, with deliveries beginning on September 28.
Li has pushed forward with the smartphone project despite investor concerns that the automaker, which has seen its losses grow as a result of a fierce price war in China, is taking on too much.
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