Luxury car maker (and also the 1 series) BMW plans to integrate Huawei’s HiCar vehicle software in its vehicles sold in the Chinese market by 2026, according to the automaker. The software will be combined with cars made locally in the country, meaning we probably won’t see it on this side of the planet in a hurry.
The German manufacturer will also work with Huawei to develop apps for the automotive version of the tech company’s Harmony operating system, allowing Huawei users to connect and control (or at least monitor) their BMWs with very little extra overhead.
A BMW in China
This lines up with Huawei’s stated aim of penetrating the automotive market. It has already spun off a software arm for controlling self-driving vehicles, while broader adoption of its Harmony OS is also a goal for the Chinese multinational.
For its part, BMW is looking for a stronger foothold in the very extensive Chinese market. There’s also the possibility that the software might make the jump outside of China, to other markets where Huawei products hold a significant share of the tech market. South Africa could very well be one of these — we already see interoperability functions between Huawei’s mobile devices — smartphones and tablets — and its computer hardware. Slotting a car into that mix makes sense.
The move is also a positive sign for Huawei’s Harmony ecosystem. Originally started as an alternative to Android, having it step up alongside Android Auto and Apple’s Carplay is very much in Huawei’s favour — even if the change will be localised to its (extensive) home market for now.