Alibaba, the Chinese Internet giant, released the first model of its Internet-connected car. The 'Roewe RX5' is being co-built with car manufacturer SAIC. The car will have a smart dashboard operated on Alibaba's YunOS software. The Internet-connected car will be able to pay for gas without the driver getting out and taking out a physical credit card. The car does this by using Alibaba's Alipay payments service to pay for gas and parking.
According to the company, the onboard "intelligent mapping system" operates without GPS or WiFi. What differentiates the RX5 is that it runs separately from the user's smartphone, unlike Google's Android Auto. The chairman of Alibaba's 'Technology Steering Committee' said, "We will be embracing a world where everything is closely connected."
What's Driving This Trend
- Internet-connected Cars
- Alibaba's new smart dashboard and payment services on RX5 presents opportunities for the booming connected car trend.
- Smart Payment Technology
- Alipay's integration with the RX5's dashboard creates transformative opportunities for smart payment technology.
- Autonomous Driving
- The RX5's intelligent mapping system presents an opportunity for autonomous driving innovation.
Who This Affects Most
- Automotive Industry
- The RX5 presents an innovative opportunity in the automotive industry for connected cars with smart payment technology.
- Finance Industry
- The integration of Alipay with the RX5 presents disruptive opportunities for financial industries to innovate in the smart payment sector.
- Technology Industry
- The RX5's technology features and mapping system present opportunities for technology industries to innovate in the connected car and autonomous driving sectors.
