Volvo Establishes Joint Venture To Develop New Infotainment Systems

Volvo will establish a joint venture with technology company ECARX to develop a new, cutting-edge infotainment system platform.

ECARX was founded by chief executive Shen Ziyu and Geely chairman Li Shufu in 2016 and will work with the Swedish automaker to create a platform that will be used by future Volvo models, other brands within the Geely Group and, potentially, third-party manufacturers.

“The infotainment system in Volvo’s latest cars is one of the best on the market, rivaling mobile phones in user experience,” Volvo Cars chief technology officer Henrik Green said. “Through this joint venture, we can speed up development of the system, bring high quality infotainment to more cars and maximize incentives for companies and developers to create great services and apps for the users of the platform.”

ECARX expanded into Europe in December 2020 and has experience developing and integrating Android-based infotainment systems for brands including Geely, Lynk & Co, and Proton.

“With profound accumulation in in-vehicle infotainment systems and the intelligent connected field, ECARX is committed to becoming the leading power in automotive intelligence technology in China,” ECARX chief executive Ziyu Shen said. “This joint venture will be another important move for ECARX’s globalization strategy. It will start the partnership between ECARX and Volvo Cars, integrates their respective technical advantages to bring global consumers connected infotainment experiences that lead the industry, and paves the way for further cooperation.”

The new platform will first be introduced in Volvo and Polestar models, each with their own unique user interfaces.

The joint venture will be led by Jan-Erik Larsson, the current head of R&D in China for Volvo Cars, and be headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden.