AI Revolution: How Cars Are Transforming into the Next Consumer Electronics Star
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AI is turning automotive products into consumer electronics.
On December 28th, Xiaomi's long-awaited first car model, the Xiaomi SU7, officially debuted in Beijing. Lei Jun, destined to build 'electric cars,' unveiled Xiaomi's five core self-developed technologies on stage, achieving breakthroughs in vehicle design, new energy technology, and smart technology. 'Tech giant' Xiaomi has officially entered the new energy vehicle race.
Lei Jun's remark "With such configurations, don't shout for 99,000 yuan – it's impossible" quickly made "Xiaomi EV price" a trending topic. The imagined scenario of Xiaomi replicating its smartphone-era "1999 yuan" price-slashing strategy in the new energy vehicle sector seems unlikely.
Although Xiaomi ultimately didn't announce pricing, the day before its EV technology launch event, Zeekr 007 was released starting at 209,900 yuan, while the AITO M9 also held its launch event recently. Clearly, the intelligent vehicle sector is becoming increasingly competitive.
On October 21st, the AITO M7 began deliveries, adding to the 2023 M5 and the recently launched M9. This brings the total number of new models launched by AITO this year to three, with over ten variants. Similarly, GAC Aion has introduced new models like the AION S Max and AION Y Plus this year. The iteration speed of new energy vehicle brands is accelerating.
Industry insiders reveal that the average development cycle for new vehicles in China has shortened from 36-48 months a few years ago to 12-18 months. Particularly this year, launching three new models within a year has become increasingly common. In a way, this iteration speed has even surpassed that of smartphones like the iPhone.
Cui Dongshu, Secretary-General of the China Passenger Car Association, once stated, "Driven by technological upgrades, new energy vehicles are trending toward consumer electronics." Accelerated vehicle iteration is one of the hallmarks of this consumer electronics shift. Under the influence of AI, the intelligence of cars is increasingly resembling that of smartphones, and users have long grown accustomed to the rich, high-quality interactive experiences offered by smart terminals.
Now, automakers are engaged in a price war, with electric and hybrid models often priced similarly to or even lower than their fuel-powered competitors. This trend is making the pricing trajectory of smart electric vehicles increasingly align with that of consumer electronics.
It can be said that the trend of consumer electronics in automobiles is becoming increasingly evident.
With the gradual saturation of the smartphone market, more than 1,000 days have passed since Xiaomi announced its intention to "build cars" in 2021. Besides Xiaomi, other consumer electronics giants like Huawei, Samsung, and Apple have also rushed into the automotive sector, seeking breakthroughs in autonomous driving, in-car navigation, and infotainment systems. Huawei has even taken the lead by launching its ecosystem-driven car brand, AITO.
In 2017, then Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf said, "The most awe-inspiring innovations in the next decade are most likely to emerge in the automotive sector." New energy vehicles, particularly the smart electric vehicle market, have provided a massive opportunity for these consumer electronics giants.
The trend of consumer electronics in automobiles is also one of the reasons why consumer electronics giants like Xiaomi and Huawei have entered the smart car sector, as the logic of car manufacturing has changed. Yu Chengdong once publicly stated, "The first half of the competition in electric vehicles is electrification, where hardware determines the experience; the second half will be intelligence, where software determines the experience. The automotive industry is transitioning from a manufacturing attribute to a consumer attribute + technology attribute."
With the AI-driven intelligence of automobiles and the realization of the Internet of Everything vision, Huawei's HarmonyOS and Xiaomi's HyperOS are both emphasizing seamless connectivity across all devices. This year, Xiaomi announced an upgrade to its core strategy from "Smartphone × AIoT" to "Human-Vehicle-Home Full Ecosystem," aiming to create a smart world encompassing personal devices, smart homes, and intelligent transportation. Additionally, consumer electronics companies have inherent advantages in smart devices, user design, and in-car entertainment systems.
Therefore, this year, the connection between new energy vehicles and smartphones has become closer than ever before. Beyond smartphone manufacturers entering the automotive industry, automakers are also launching their own branded smartphones to diversify terminal forms. For example, NIO has released its own smartphone, while Geely acquired Meizu as early as last year.
In the process of automotive consumption electronization, AI plays a crucial role.
From the usage perspective, the integration of AI technology has transformed cars from mere transportation tools into multifunctional, interconnected smart devices. It enhances vehicle safety, efficiency, and user experience. Additionally, AI serves as a core enabler in autonomous driving, driver assistance, vehicle maintenance, personalized services, data analysis, and the integration of users' daily digital lives.
This makes smart vehicles more akin to other high-end consumer electronics like smartphones and smart home devices, thereby altering people's expectations and usage patterns of cars.
From a design perspective, the accelerated iteration speed of smart vehicles stems from the shift from 'manufacturing' to 'intelligent manufacturing'. Supported by current advancements in intelligence, electrification, digitalization, cloud computing, big data, and particularly the application of computer simulation technologies, automotive design efficiency has been significantly enhanced.
In the automotive design process, researchers can directly apply computer simulation technology with AI assistance to achieve theoretically optimal performance. Combined with later-stage experiments, the design can be completed quickly—not only at lower costs but also with higher efficiency, significantly shortening the development cycle.
AI large models are reshaping various industries. On the path of automotive evolution, AI will continue to play a crucial role in the future.