The annual Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024 is currently underway in Barcelona, Spain. The much-anticipated event which showcases the latest in innovative technology, runs from February 26 to 29. AI solutions, smartphones, and wearables have been in the spotlight with standout, crowd pleasing offerings like Samsung’s health tracking Galaxy Ring, Xiaomi’s 14 ultra smartphone with Leica camera, HMD’s retro pink Barbie flip phone, Lenovo’s ThinkBook transparent display laptop, and Motorola’s Adaptive Display, a wearable phone concept that allows a smartphone to bend into becoming a smartwatch. Exciting as all this new technology was, we were more interested in evolving mobility trends.
A New Automaker Makes a Splash
At a time when technology companies are storming into the automotive arena, smartphone maker Xiaomi unveiled its SU7 electric sedan. This marks the first offering in the automotive arena following the company’s decision to invest $10 billion over the course of a decade into electric vehicle (EV) development. Market delivery could begin as early as the second quarter of this year, beginning with the Chinese market.
The SU7 comes in three variants: Regular, Pro and Max. The core technology for this high-performance electric sedan has been developed in-house. The HyperEngine electric motors are set to support rapid acceleration from 0 to 100 km in less than 2.78 seconds in the SU7 Max, while the SU7 will achieve this in 5.28 seconds. The Max variant will have a recharge range of 800 km, be capable of hitting a top speed of 265km/h, have a maximum horsepower of 673 ps and peak torque of 838 Nm. While the SU7 will have rear-wheel drive, the Max will have dual motor all-wheel drive. In terms of battery, the Xiaomi SU7 will have a 101 kwh CATL cell with 800v hypercharge facility, where five minutes of charging will support a 220 km range.
Run on Xiaomi’s Android HyperOS, the SU7 has a full-fledged technological arsenal. Apart from incorporating advanced autonomous technology in the form of the Xiaomi Pilot Autonomous Driving feature, the car will come equipped with a range of connectivity features, individual drive modes, and advanced driver assistance systems like parking assistance and adaptive cruise control. To top it all, this high performance, premium EV sedan has a sleek, sporty design with consumers getting to choose between Aqua Blue, Mineral Gray, and Verdant Green colors. With this, Xiaomi has thrown the gauntlet down to the competition.
Enhancing the in-Vehicle Experience
Qualcomm continues to push the boundaries of generative AI. Beyond its pioneering AI hardware and software solutions, its Snapdragon® Digital Chassis™ Platform highlights both conventional and generative AI capabilities, with the aim of delivering “more powerful, efficient, private, safer, and personalized experiences” for drivers and other vehicle occupants.
The latest addition to its Snapdragon Auto Connectivity Platform – the QCA6797AQ – represents the industry’s first Automotive Grade Wi-Fi 7 Access Point solution. The Wi-Fi 7 solution is set to enable “improved link-reliability, lower latency, greater capacity, and faster connectivity for in-vehicle experiences and applications.” In turn, enhanced network capacity, connection reliability, better speeds, and low latency will allow for significantly faster, more robust software updates and data offloading. It will support superior in-vehicle experiences, while opening up use cases in streaming, mapping, and gaming, among others.
Google has had a rough time following news that it will be rolling back some features of its Gemini AI chatbot. Nevertheless, it was business as usual at the MWC with Google showcasing several forthcoming communications features for Android users. Generative AI is increasingly being integrated into the Android Auto platform, with the ability to summarize lengthy text messages, read them aloud, auto generate messages, offer group chat support, recommend replies, or suggest actions such as sharing your current location or expected time of arrival – all with a single tap so as to minimize driver distraction and boost productivity.
Conclusion
The increasing intertwining of mobile technology and the automotive industry has been in clear evidence at MWC 2024. It reflects the trend of cars becoming software defined vehicles and the transformative role that connectivity is playing in shaping the automotive industry.
Global smartphone giant, Xiaomi has remained on track with its automotive agenda and its $10 billion investment gamble appears to be paying off. Its high performance, high tech SU7 has been the cynosure of all eyes. Of course, the true test will come with the market launch of the electric sedan in Q2, 2024. If it succeeds, then this will be a shot in the arm to other non-traditional automotive aspirants like Apple, Sony, Google, and Huawei. We could see them ramp up their automotive manufacturing efforts, reinforce this with their existing technology capabilities to create end-to-end solutions and, in the process, threaten the dominance of traditional automakers. Another aspect of the increasing overlap between mobile technology and the automotive industry is new auto tech. Generative AI is everywhere, even as automakers now have to find ways to achieve competitive differentiation by creating user-friendly interfaces that support experiences that are safer, sustainable, and personalized.
With inputs from Amrita Shetty, Senior Manager, Communications & Content – Mobility
