SAIC Motor’s chairman says SAIC unwilling to cooperate with Huawei for autonomous driving

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- SAIC Motor is unwilling to cooperate with third-party companies like Huawei on autonomous driving business, Chen Hong, chairman of SAIC Motor, said at the latest annual shareholder meeting in response to a question raised by an investor.

Mr. Chen added cooperating with companies like Huawei will make SAIC Motor a body without soul. However, the soul must be controlled by SAIC itself.

Some netizens are supportive of Chen's answer and said this is a pretty wise decision. They thought electric vehicles in the future will be fusion of both software and hardware and EV developers will form their own close-loop ecosystem like what Apple and Tesla are doing.

Nevertheless, some commentators said companies should do what they specialize in. While making sure the industrial chain is stable and safe, teaming up with technology companies will benefit the improvement and progress of product performances. For instance, many automakers opt to purchase batteries from professional battery manufacturers rather than developing in-house.

At the annual meeting, Chen Hong also said microchip supplies at the company may return to normal later this year.

“The chip shortage, a problem facing the entire auto industry, is expected to be alleviated in late July, and chip supply will basically return to normal in the third or the fourth quarter,” he noted.

Chen Hong didn’t revealed the chip inventories at SAIC's subsidiaries or joint ventures.