HEFEI - China's private carmaker Chery Automobile Co on Tuesday said it is cooperating with the Republic of Korea's top mobile carrier SK Telecom to develop smart vehicles that will enable mobile phone-controlled driving.

Chery's Vice General Manager Chen Anning said the carmaker has set up a lab with SK Telecom to study the application of Mobile In Vehicle (MIV) telematics service on Chery automobiles.

The MIV service enables drivers to use their mobile phones to check driving performance and get fuel-related information as well as to control various components, including the doors, trunk, and headlights, according to Korean media reports.

Chery is China's leading private carmaker. Its global sales hit 55,616 units in November, including 13,906 units sold overseas. Chery sold 149,462 cars overseas in the Jan -Nov period this year, recording a robust 79.7 percent growth from a year earlier.