BYD opens auto ecosystem access to app developers

China's leading electric car maker BYD Co Ltd announced on Wednesday it will allow international app developers to access data and controls for its vehicles, encouraging them to produce third-party apps for its newly launched online driving ecosystem.

"We are the first (car) brand to open all sensors and controls," said Wang Chuanfu, chairman and president of BYD. "It is also the first step in the process of establishing a fully open vehicle ecosystem."

Control rights for opening vehicles' doors and windows, as well as technologies such as facial recognition will all have a role to play in the carmaker's new app ecosystem, according to Wang. The approach is similar to how the internet has changed the whole structure of mobile phone competition and people's daily lives, he said.