If you were wondering what LeTV and Aston Martin might have been working on since they announced their partnership in April, wonder no more.
The Chinese video streaming company, often dubbed the Netflix of China, has released a series of concept images for their upcoming electric car, and it’s looking very sleek.
The iconic British car brand announced its partnership with LeTV at the Shanghai Auto Show this year, and for those eager to see the final product, they’ll have to wait until the same show next year. LeTV has set a timeline to release the car in April 2016.
The two companies have only been publicly linked for four months, but according to Chinese media reports they have been working together for a year now on the latest design. LeTV has already debuted a concept UI that can link smart devices and cars.
The Chinese company set up an R&D centre in Silicon Valley, with a specific team dedicated to developing their electric car. While they may have been working on the design for much longer, LeTV began seeking a license to manufacture them in December 2014.
Connected and electric cars have been a hot investment among Chinese internet companies over the past 18 months. Baidu, China’s answer to Google, confirmed it would be launching its first driverless car in the second half of 2015. Tencent inked a deal this year with luxury car dealer China Harmony Auto and iPhone manufacturer Foxconn to reportedly manufacture electric cars with smart technology. not to be outdone, Alibaba has also joined forces with China’s largest automaker SAIC Motor to establish a $160 million USD und aimed at developing connected cars.
San francisco-based Tesla is also currently working in China, though sales have been steady. According to the China Automotive Technology and Research Centre, the company has an approximate 80% share of imported plug-in hybrid or electric cars, selling 2,147 in the first 6 months of 2015.
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Image Credit: LeTV