Software has become a key differentiator between electric vehicles, particularly in China, where local manufacturers like BYD have raced ahead of European carmakers. Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz Group and BMW have had to seek out tech partnerships from Silicon Valley to China for the tech expertise needed for their next generation of cars to compete.
Alibaba Group and BMW will team up to produce artificial intelligence (AI) for cars in China, as the tech giant looks to monetise its emerging products and the German automaker seeks to catch up to local brands that are dominating the key market.
BMW will adopt AI cockpit technology from Alibaba-backed Banma for its upcoming models tailored for the Chinese market, the companies said Wednesday in a joint statement. Banma’s technology is the product of collaboration with Alibaba’s own Qwen model team.
