LeTV helps give Aston Martin a tech makeover

Aston Martin, the British luxury automaker, has teamed up with Beijing technology company LeTV Holdings Co Ltd to develop smart vehicles.

The company's cars, often featured in the James Bond movies, are set to sport a new look with a host of gizmos blended in to give the ultimate in driving experience.

LeTV and Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd showcased their first model, the Rapide S, which is powered by LeTV's automobile operating system, on Jan 7 at the consumer electronics expo in Las Vegas.

The vehicle has a 13.3-inch HD LeTV touch screen instead of the traditional 12.2-inch console on the dashboard. The 2015 sedan version also incorporates LeTV's speech recognition technology. The cloud-based system also enables other services such as remote monitoring.

The entire project took several months to complete, according to LeTV. Aston Martin also says that by partnering with the Beijing company, it has shown it wants to add up-to-the-minute tech to its vehicles.

Ding Lei, co-founder and global vice-chairman of LeTV's automobile subsidiary, LeTV Super Car, says his company has given "an Internet brain" to Aston Martin, which has a legacy of more than 100 years.

In December, Aston Martin and LeTV also signed a partnership deal on research collaboration. The projects include the development of the next-generation electric vehicles and manufacturing.

Andrew Palmer, CEO of Aston Martin, says: "The integration of LeTV's advanced connected technologies into this bespoke environment is a natural progression as we look to the future demands of our customers."

The two companies have no intention of selling the upgraded version of Rapide S, saying technologies used on the car - worth an estimated 4 million yuan ($607,000; 555,000 euros) - will be introduced in future rollouts.

LeTV announced its intention to enter the automobile market in November 2015. The company, which has experience in making smartphones and televisions, said it is seeking traditional automakers for partnership. The company has also invested in a 2-year-old electric-car developer in the United States to challenge industry pioneers like Tesla Motors Inc.

Zhang Xu, an analyst in Beijing with Analysys International, says LeTV has huge ambitions in the auto industry. "Cars are considered the next key terminal for mobile Internet after smartphones," she says. "LeTV definitely wants a lion's share in this sector, so it has launched strategies early to gain an advantage."

Baidu Inc, the Chinese search engine, is also developing technologies used in cars. It tested a self-driving system in late 2015 and showed off the technology to President Xi Jinping at an industry expo in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province.

Tencent Holdings Ltd and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd have also announced plans to enter the smart car market. "The competition will intensify this year," Zhang says.

gaoyuan@chinadaily.com.cn

Products made by Chinese companies on display at the CES

'Smart' drone

Drone maker Shenzhen Zero UAV Tech Co Ltd launched a new device that can automatically avoid obstacles. The Xplorer 2 has an in-built radar that scans its surroundings 50 times per second.

Watches that glitter

Huawei Technologies Co Ltd displayed smart watches inlaid with Swarovski crystals. The company says the design was inspired by Swiss watchmakers.

Futuristic car

Electric-car maker Faraday Future, which is backed by LeTV Holdings Co Ltd, debuted its first concept auto, the FFZERO1. The 1,000-horsepower racing prototype can reach 90 km/h in under 3 seconds.

(China Daily European Weekly 01/15/2016 page29)