Geely Automobile Holdings has formed a partnership with Ericsson, a Swedish telecommunications equipment provider, to develop services for connected cars.

 

"Together, Ericsson and Geely will build a leading connected-car platform that delivers everything from safety functionality to fully autonomous driving," said Claes Herlitz, Ericsson's automotive chief.

 

Initially, Geely Auto plan to introduce smartphone applications that enable vehicle owners to remotely monitor and activate vehicle systems.

 

For example, motorists could lock or unlock their cars, remotely activate the heater or air conditioner and check the vehicle's expected range.

 

When the vehicle needs maintenance, it would automatically make a reservation with the dealership. Ericsson and Geely Auto also plan to create an online store so that customers can acquire new applications.

 

In the second phase, Geely Auto's vehicles would use cellphone links to share reports about road conditions via the cloud. In the final phase, Ericsson and Geely Auto plan to gradually introduce self-driving cars supported by 5G cellphone data links.

 

Ericsson, headquartered in Stockholm, generated sales of $29.4 billion (192.2 billion yuan at current exchange rates) in 2015. Geely Auto, based in the east China city of Hangzhou, sold 509,863 vehicles last year, up 22 percent from 2014.

 

The deal with Ericsson expands Geely Auto's access to Swedish automotive technology. In 2010, Geely Auto's parent, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., acquired Swedish automaker Volvo Car Corp. from Ford Motor Co.

 

Geely and Volvo have jointly developed a platform to underpin a new generation of compact cars.