Earlier this week, Stellantis announced they had struck a strategic partnership with Foxconn. While many believed it would involve electric vehicles, that’s not the case as the alliance is tech-focused.
In particular, the two companies have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to create a joint venture named Mobile Drive. The companies will have equal voting rights in the new entity, which is aimed at “accelerating development timelines to bring innovative in-vehicle user experiences enabled by advanced consumer electronics, HMI interfaces and services that will exceed customer expectations.”
The companies went on to say Mobile Drive will combine Stellantis’ design and engineering expertise with Foxconn’s extensive experience with smartphones and consumer electronics. This promises to “deliver a new frontier of in-cabin information and entertainment capabilities, seamlessly connected inside and outside the vehicles in which they are installed.”
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Airflow Vision concept
Mobile Drive will be based in the Netherlands and will operate as an automotive supplier. This is interesting as it means their products won’t necessarily be limited to Stellantis vehicles. However, it remains to be seen if other automakers would be interested in using the technology.
Specifics are lacking at this point, but the companies said Mobile Drive will focus on “infotainment, telematics and cloud service platform development with software innovations expected to include artificial intelligence-based applications, 5G communication, upgraded over-the-air services, e-commerce opportunities and smart cockpit integrations.” That isn’t much to go on, but the two companies previously partnered on the Airflow Vision concept which featured a digital instrument cluster, an infotainment system, a secondary lower display, a front passenger display and a rear seat entertainment system.
Stellantis Chief Software Officer Yves Bonnefont remarked the partnership will enable them to “push the boundaries in connected car technology and bring immersive experiences yet to be imagined.” He added, “Mobile Drive ultimately gives us the agility we need to provide the digital experience of the future at the speed our customers demand.”
