LeEco, a leading Chinese technology company, has recently launched its first self-driving car concept at a San Francisco event in the US to challenge other global players in the electric vehicle market. LeEco's new self-driving car concept known as 'LeSEE Pro' is powered by electricity and it will be made available to a wide network of more than 700 million registered users.
Automated self-driving cars are still several years away from seeing their debut on the roads globally, while it is not yet known when they could become widely available in China.
"China is now very aggressive for EV cars and the new car-sharing business model. If we really want to promote the car-sharing business model, the automated self-driving function is very important," said Tianxin Nie, senior vice president of LeEco for strategic investments and car business, after the product-launch event.
With its production date estimated to kick-off in 2017, LeSEE Pro will be marketed as a premium car following its debut release in the US market, while more details regarding its production, estimated volumes and launch date are expected to be revealed at a later date.
"I think the US will be the first country to really promote automated EVs, which is why we have come to the US to put the technology and R&D here," Nie said.
"We will launch the car step by step ... Not just one model will be launched, but a series of LeSEE Pros," he added.
Thailand is touted to be one of the key markets in the Southeast Asia for the Chinese company's expansion and growth prospects in the self-driving electric-car segment.
There is, however, no clue about what types of electric car models will be released as per the expansion timeline set for 2017.
