Oppo to Launch Electric Car Following in Huawei and Xiaomi’s Footsteps?

In this modernized world, technology is seen as a big part of human life. One of the industries that is directly affected by this rapid technological development is the automotive industry.

Recently, Oppo, a subsidiary of BBK Electronics which is famous for the production of smartphones as well as several other electronic devices was reported to be involved in the automotive world following in the footsteps that have been taken by other giants such as Huawei and Xiaomi. Oppo founder and chief executive officer Tony Chen is the individual who will lead the project.

“Even in car production, we will focus on things that Oppo is capable of doing well. If car manufacturers can't produce good cars and Oppo has that strength, we will try it in the future,” Chen explained.

Actively Developing Teams

Based on reports from several other news outlets, Chen is now actively creating a team for the autonomous driving technology project by meeting with battery supplier China Passenger Car Division (CATL), in addition to visiting the China Automotive Research Institute.

China Automotive Research Institute

Other individuals involved are Andy Wu, Oppo's vice president of software engineering and also Eric Guo, former chief scientist of electric vehicle company Xiaopeng Motors (Xpeng).

Patent Issuance

Oppo HQ, Chengdu

Oppo also attended the SAIC developer conference held in Shanghai this year and issued several patents related to autonomy, including measuring devices, cameras, and equipment for positioning cars. The study is underway at the Oppo automotive center located in Chengdu.

Following in the Footsteps of Other Smartphone Manufacturers

Not long ago, smartphone maker Xiaomi announced their plans to invest as much as $ 10 billion to produce electric cars. Shortly afterwards, Huawei showcased a prototype of their first electric SUV named the SF5 at the Shanghai Auto Show.

Huawei's SF5

Other smartphone manufacturers such as Apple and Sony have already started the work of producing their own electric cars. Last year, Sony surprised the public when it introduced their first Vision S prototype at CES 2020.

Vision S Sony's Prototype

Oppo Owned Brands (OnePlus, Realme, Vivo)

Oppo is the second largest smartphone maker in China which is the owner of brands such as Vivo, OnePlus and Realme with a market share of 8 percent and has produced more than 112 million smartphones worldwide in the past year, including Malaysia.