Chinese electric vehicle producer NIO has set a date for the launch of its own phone. It's a sign of the increasing integration between smartphone and automotive technology and the race to capture the associated revenue.
NIO said it plans to launch the phone in the second half of September and it would provide a better experience for drivers, especially those using vehicles built on its NT2.0 platform
"We would like to use the phone as a carrier to provide the best experience for our vehicle user," CEO William Li said on an earnings call on Tuesday.
Vehicle software and its integration with drivers' smartphones is becoming an increasingly important part of a car's value. General Motors surprised the automotive industry earlier this year when it said it would drop Apple's $(AAPL)$ CarPlay app and similar technology from Android for using smartphones through car displays, replacing it with custom software.
NIO's Li insisted the company wasn't looking to compete with other phone manufacturers. Its product will run the Android operating system.
American depositary receipts of NIO were down 3.95% in premarket trading on Wednesday. The stock looks set to continue losses from the previous day when its second-quarter earnings missed market expectations.