Meizu, a Chinese smartphone maker now under the influence of auto giant Geely, will launch its first own-brand electric vehicle model in the first quarter of 2024. Bear in mind Geely completed the acquisition of Meizu in July of last year.
The car, called DreamCar MX will come with a plethora of customized options for vehicle software, interior styling, and car wrapping. The DreamCar MX will be based on Geely’s Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA), and come with Meizu’s in-car operating system called FLyme Auto, boasting the same smooth experience that its handset users are used to.
As per the Chinese report, those who have bought Meizu 21 will be able to use its price to deduct it from the car’s price, which means getting a phone free while buying a car. Buyers will be able to add their personalized touch to the car’s body paint, interior color matching, and Flyme Auto themes which gives the company a reason to say this “world’s first mass-produced car that is customized with deep user participation”.
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Meizu has also been selling Geely and Volvo jointly branded Lynk & Co EVs at its brick-and-mortar stores in China for the past few months, in a defensive move against Chinese smartphone giants Huawei and Xiaomi. Huawei has been leveraging its distribution and retail network to sell several EVs developed with its manufacturing partners since early 2021, while Xiaomi is set to launch its first consumer car in the first half of 2024.
Geely has been eyeing the mobile business for some time and has created a separate entity Hubei Xingji Shidai Technology dedicated to it. It snatched some key executives from ZTE, Xiaomi, and Oppo to help its efforts. As per sources, Geely has invested nearly 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) in this new enterprise, not including the Meizu acquisition costs. According to Li Shufu, mobile phones and devices can act “as a pathway to greater automotive applications.” He said:
“Mobile phones and devices have quickly evolved into mobile terminals and application platforms, which not only allow users to enjoy the fruits of innovation in the quickest manner possible, they also act as a pathway to greater automotive applications. The major trend in the coming future is to create user ecosystems across borders and provide users with a more convenient, smarter, and seamlessly connected multi-screen experiences.”
Geely has good enough resources to support the company, as the Chinese motoring giant already owns Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, and Proton among others as well as sub-brands including Lynk & Co, Geometry, and Zeekr.
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