Unprofitable China EV Maker Nio Unveils Phone for Drivers
- Phone will sync with cars and control entertainment system
- Move comes even as Nio’s vehicle sales fall short of target
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While Chinese tech companies have long harbored ambitions to move into the electric car industry, EV upstart Nio Inc. has gone the other way — on Thursday releasing its first mobile phone.
The unprofitable automaker is targeting its loyal customer base with the phone, which will sync with Nio cars to act as a key fob, view information such as battery charge, and control functions like self-parking and the in-cabin infotainment system. The Android-based handset will be priced from 6,499 yuan ($890) — the same as Huawei Technologies Co.’s latest flagship Mate 60 Pro — Nio said as it unveiled the phone at its ‘Innovation Tech Day’ in Shanghai.