Nio will launch a cell phone business and the project is currently in the initial research phase, a Weibo blogger said Monday.
(Image credit: CnEVPost)
Rumors shared by an automotive blogger yesterday that Nio (NYSE: NIO, HKG: 9866) will be involved in cell phone manufacturing have generated widespread interest, and now the electric vehicle company has responded.
Nio has no information to disclose at this time and will communicate if there is, according to a response shared with CnEVPost.
Weibo car blogger @肉肉爸比ev cited sources on Monday as saying that Nio will launch a cell phone business and that the project is currently in the initial research phase.
Nio's phone will have very many features that interact with its cars, such as file transfer between the phone and the vehicle, projection of AR/VR resources, and a mobile version of the NOMI virtual voice assistant, the blogger said.
In addition to the blogger, another Weibo user @罗格斥候, who claims to focus on the EV supply chain, mentioned earlier this month that Nio's mobile division has seen a lot of action recently, sending more than 100 offers after the Chinese New Year.
Nio's response today neither acknowledged the rumors nor denied them entirely.
If these rumors are true, then Nio would be the second car company after Geely to get involved in the smartphone space.
The cell phone company founded by Geely Holding Group Chairman Eric Li signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone on September 28, officially announcing its entry into the cell phone sector.
Geely's cell phone unit was in contact with Chinese smartphone maker Meizu to discuss the acquisition, tech media outlet 36kr said late last month, citing multiple sources.
