Chinese telecom giant Huawei showcases the in-car smart interaction system HiCar at its recently opened flagship store in Shanghai. The three-story store is its biggest in the world with a floor area of 5,000 square meters. The HiCar solution allows drivers to control their cars with smartphones, check on their cars' real-time status and enjoy entertainment applications. Photo: cnsphotos

Chinese electric carmaker BYD and Huawei announced the release of auto carrying Huawei's HiCar system on Sunday. 

"Compared to Apple's CarPlay, Huawei's HiCar solution could have more applications," Richard Yu Chengdong, head of Huawei's consumer business group, said at the release, noting using Huawei's HarmonyOS could also make full use of the hardware capabilities of cars and mobile phones.

The launch of the car also indicates the Chinese tech giant has advanced within the car sector and may have a new revenue stream despite an intensified crackdown by the US on the Chinese tech giant, analysts said.

Last August, Huawei officially launched its in-car smart interaction system HiCar, allowing drivers to control their cars with smartphones, check on their car's real-time status, and enjoy entertainment applications through vehicle's mobile phone screen.

The firm said its 5G-based HiCar system would be available on more than 120 car models from over 30 enterprises, including Audi, BYD, GAC and BAIC.

The company also established a smart-car solutions business unit, approved by founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei. The new division will offer end-to-end smart mobility solutions for ICT equipment and smart cars.

Huawei Rotating Chairman Eric Xu said the Huawei products offered to car OEMs include mobile data centers, cloud services for autonomous driving, 4G/5G in-vehicle communication modules, and Huawei HiCar people-car-home connectivity solutions.

The firm also launched its "HiCharger" DC electricity fast-charging module in April, tapping into the growing NEV charging field, supported by its software and hardware strength.

Huawei has also patented a list of autonomous driving technologies recently. In May, Huawei autonomous driving system has acquired the Automotive Safety Integrity Level D, the highest classification. The firm is also the first Chinese company to be certified with ASIL-D.

Insiders told the Global Times that when Huawei's software abilities are mature, "the possibility of Huawei making cars will come, just like Huawei began making phones."

Global Times