Move aside Google, Alibaba's Jack Ma now has his own Internet Car

Jack Ma’s Alibaba Group today launched the OS'Car, the first YunOS enabled, mass produced internet car, in collaboration with SAIC Motor Corp.

The smart operating system tailored for the automotive industry ‘YunOS for cars’ was touted as a milestone for Alibaba’s Internet of Things (IoT) strategy.

“Humans have made machines more intelligent in the past few decades. What we hope to achieve in the coming decades is to inject machines with human wisdom. Just as software programs have made the phone smarter today, YunOS will make cars an even more indispensable part of human life in the future society. Today marks the dawn of that new era. We feel proud and privileged to be playing a part in driving that change”, Jack Ma, Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group said.

The OS’Car RX5 is the first ‘Internet-connected Car’ of its kind in mass production. It was co-developed after two years of intensive study and collaboration.

“What we are creating is not ‘internet in the car’, but a ‘car on the internet’. This is a significant milestone in the automobile industry. Smart operating systems become the second engine of cars, while data is the new fuel,” said Dr. Wang Jian, Chairman of Technology Steering Committee of Alibaba Group.

Here are a couple of its features:

· An intelligent map which enables instant and precise location by sub-meter, location tracking without Wi-Fi or GPS, automatic change in map zoom size based on the car speed
· The car is able to take direct commands through smart voice control, creating a more natural and safer driving environment. Audio is the primary mode for controlling the system.
· Equipped with up to four detachable action cameras, it enables video recordings of the journey and 360-degree in-car selfies. The selfies can be shared instantly with friends via the connected smart phone.
· As the first car with an “Internet ID”, OS’Car can recognize the driver through connected smart phones or smart watches. It also enables personalized internet services such as greetings, preferred music and destinations.
· Three integrated screens– a large touch screen, LED dashboard and an intelligent rear-view mirror - result in safer driving.
· OS’Car RX5 uses an open platform, for different smart hardware and services which will enable the introduction of additional premium and creative driving experiences for users.

The OS’Car RX5 is currently available for sale from RMB 99,800 (Rs. 10.06 lakhs) to RMB 186,800 (Rs. 18.83 lakhs).

Have fun!

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