SAIC Motor going mobile to revolutionize auto industry

Shanghai-based automaker SAIC Motor intends to transform itself from a car manufacturer to a mobility service provider, offering full life-cycle software services to consumers.

SAIC officials said the company will host a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) software platform developer conference in April.

As a core method of software design, service-oriented architecture has been developed in the information technology and Internet industries for nearly two decades, which SAIC will apply to its vehicles.

The automotive industry has rapidly developed in recent years with emerging trends such as digitalization and connectivity, and software integration has played a vital role for all automakers.

Car manufacturers such as Toyota, General Motors and Volkswagen have underscored the importance of software development in the Chinese market.

"Software talent is the key, and most automakers are placing great emphasis on it," said Zhang Xiaofeng, an independent market analyst.

End users, car manufacturers and third-party developers will be able to develop the software platform in tandem.

In the future, consumers will be able to download and configure different software functions with their phones based on different conditions, such as the number of passengers in their cars, road conditions and destinations.

In 2016, SAIC introduced the internet-enabled Roewe RX5 with a Banma operating system, a revolutionary step for the company. In late 2019, it opened a software center with the aim of accelerating the development of autonomous driving and mobility services. Zhiji Motor, a high-end smart electric carmaker, was launched by SAIC, the Pudong New Area and Alibaba Group in Shanghai last November.

SAIC continues to develop artificial intelligence applications, big data, cloud computing and network information security to accelerate the application of software technologies in products and services.