Alibaba and SAIC have jointly introduced an ‘Internet Car’ in China, Alibaba states. The term web vehicle describes the Internet of Things (IoT) where everything is connected; your mobile phone with your car, your vehicle with your home, and your house with your phone.
Alibaba has nothing to do with the vehicle though. It was designed and established by the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC). It is being marketed under SAIC’s Roewe brand name and sold by means of Roewe’s existing dealership network.
Alibaba’s share is the operating system for the car’s infotainment system. The operating system is called YunOS for Vehicle. It is based upon the YunOS mobile phone os. Alibaba wishes to utilize various new YunOS versions to power a wide range of gadgets to develop their Internet of Things. The devices consist of tvs, home-air conditioning systems, refrigerators, microwave ovens, video game consoles, clever watches, and even robotic vacuum.
The Roewe RX5 is a compact SUV, and its cost ranges from 99,800 to 186,800 yuan ($15,000– 28,000), placing the RX5 in the most competitive SUV section of the active competitive Chinese market.
Design is relatively typical for the section; conservative with a stylish touch, including a huge and glossy grille. The RX5 can be had with a 170 horse power 1.5 turbo or a 220 horse power 2.0 turbo. A plug-in hybrid version will come to the lineup in August. The Roewe RX5 is and will be only offered in China.
SAIC is among China’s largest automakers through its joint ventures with General Motors and with Volkswagen. Its own Roewe and MG brand names are small in comparison. Roewe was founded in 2006 on the ruins of British automobile maker MG Rover.
