Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC) launched a smart and connected car ecosystem called ADiGO on Sunday, according to a press release by Tencent, which was involved in building this system.
ADiGO already features an autonomous driving system and a smart and interconnected system and will include a cloud platform and big data system later, according to Tencent’s statement.
ADiGO indicates GAC’s determination to upgrade digitally and to transform from an automaker to a mobility provider, said Zhong Xiangping, a vice president of Tencent. GAC and Tencent launched a ride-hailing platform called OnTime in June.
Aion LX, the first new energy vehicle to be equipped with ADiGO, is scheduled to go into production in September this year, according to 21st Century Business Herald. Huawei, a worldwide leader in 5G technologies, which are necessary for autonomous driving, has also contributed to this system, said the Chinese media outlet.
Autonomous driving system is a hot sector crowded with large internet companies, traditional automakers, electric vehicle producers and startups.
Baidu, which features an open autonomous driving software system called Apollo, has been given the green light by the local government of Changsha, the capital of Central China’s Hunan province, to use its self-driving cars to pick up passengers, KrAsia reported in late June.
Ride-hailing platform Didi Chuxing has also displayed its autonomous driving car in Suzhou, East China’s Jiangsu province in May.
German automaker Volkswagen announced in May that it has signed an agreement with its subsidiary Mobility Asia, Chinese auto manufacturer JAC, and Hefei’s city government to develop autonomous driving solutions.
Guangzhou-headquartered autonomous vehicle startup WeRide begun recruiting individuals for test rides of its self-driving cars in the city of Anqing, located in East China’s Anhui province in April.