PARTNER FEATURE: China-based XINGJI MEIZU Group is positioned for growth after concluding partnerships with a unit of local multinational automotive company Geely Holdings and maker of B2B hardware and software for automotive OEMs ECARX.
A move into the automotive sector is XINGJI MEIZU’s first step to offer users immersive and fully integrated experiences across multiple devices and applications, said chairman and CEO Shen Ziyu.
The Wuhan-headquartered company showcased its MEIZU 20 Series flagship at MWC2023 Shanghai along with an intelligent car equipped with its Flyme Auto smart cockpit operating system.
Its participation in the event was aimed at enhancing its brand image and its leadership position in the intelligent integration segment, said Shen.
The onboard operating system, unveiled at end-March, was first deployed by Lynk & Co, a Chinese brand owned by Geely Holding, in its 08 Model smart car.
The digital cockpit and infotainment system is based on XINGJI MEIZU’s software architecture. The OS comes with a built-in digital assistant and went thought its first live vehicle experience in Zhuhai, China in June.
Partnering for growth
In July 2022, Xingji Technology Co., Ltd. makes strategic investment in Meizu Technology Co., Ltd., taking a 79 per cent stake to tap device maker’s years of experience in software development.
Hubei Xingji Technology was set up by Eric Li, founder and chairman of automotive giant Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, which has brands including Lotus, Volvo, Geely and Lynk &Co in its portfolio.
XINGJI MEIZU introduced its Flyme operating system for smartphones more than a decade ago.
The company is currently starting jointly developing an Android-based smart cockpit OS for cars with ECARX. Flyme Auto is an extension of its Flyme OS, building upon XINGJI MEIZU’s new Alive Design software language.
Shen, also chairman and CEO of ECARX, said his dule roles at the two companies “solidifies a strong, strategic and ecological approach to developing a truly integrated solution for consumers, OEMs and tier 1 automakers”.
With ECARX’s focus on specialised B2B hardware and software for OEMs and tier 1 car companies and XINGJI MEIZU’s focus on the consumer market, the two companies plan to take advantage of synergies that enable the seamless co-development of software optimised for smartphones and automobiles.
ECARX’s Antora 1000 Pro features powerful 200k DMIPS computing power and 1.8 TFLOPS graphics rendering capability. The all-in-one computing platform integrates cockpit and parking capabilities, as well as ADAS functions.
Shen said Flyme Auto opens up new paradigms of industry integration by enabling mobile phones and vehicle systems to interconnect, “enhancing the user experience of the smart cockpit”.
Applications
When paired with a Meizu smartphone, the system enables seamless connectivity, a multi-tasking window display, cross-device visibility and control, application handover, hardware sharing, smartphone-assisted over-the-air updates and ultra-wideband (UWB) vehicle tracking.
The alternative to Android Auto and CarPlay offers a range of advanced customisation options, including a ‘live desktop’, can automatically adjust lighting of the main screen depending on the time of day and to display real-time weather conditions. In addition, critical information such as battery level and tire pressure can be displayed for easy viewing.
The screen supports multiple applications, which can be moved around, giving the system the feel of an actual computer, the company said.
The apps on the mobile phone can be seamlessly mapped to the car-machine system and operated smoothly.
To pursue its industry integration strategy, XINGJI MEIZU continues add new partners, last month entering into a strategic alliance with Swedish electric vehicle manufacturer Polestar, covering development of an OS for the global market. Polestar is a premium auto brand producing high-performance electric vehicles.
Looking ahead
Shen said the company has successfully taken the first step toward the “cross-border integration” of the two industries. “In the future, we will continue to let mobile phones empower the intelligent construction of cars, and let smartphones and smart cars go hand-in-hand in the market!”