Polestar, the Swedish electric vehicle manufacturer, intends to venture into the smartphone market with a dedicated launch in China.

Meizu is not a major player in the Chinese smartphone market, with companies like Apple and Oppo dominating. The launch of a Polestar smartphone is not aimed at capturing market share.

Instead, this unique move by an EV company is driven by the automakers’ desire to create a seamless transition between cars and smartphones.

“When you have an opportunity to link these two worlds, without any boundaries… then you can truly achieve a seamless transition,” said Ingenlath.

Imagine a world where you use an app on your phone, and when you enter your car, the same app is displayed on the car’s dashboard screen.

“I still struggle to display an SMS,” Ingenlath expressed his frustrations with current technology.

Ingenlath also mentioned that the phone will be a “premium” device, allowing Meizu to enter the high-end handset market. Meizu is primarily known in China for its mid-tier devices.

Although it’s uncommon for car companies to launch phones, the idea is gaining traction. Chinese EV start-up Nio plans to release its first self-developed mobile phone in September.

There are numerous reasons why this concept makes sense, especially in the world’s second-largest economy.

Firstly, in China, there is no Google Android mobile operating system, which allows automakers to customize the operating system on their phone and car for seamless integration. For example, Meizu has its own operating system called FlyMe, which will be used as the basis for the operating system in Polestar cars.

The smartphone released by Polestar is also expected to have a similar operating system, ensuring smooth integration.

“It’s not enough to simply bring a great European design to China; you need to offer something truly extraordinary in terms of software,” emphasized Ingenlath.

“Many OEMs are following Geely and potentially other future players such as Apple if they enter the car market with their own smartphone, aiming to provide a holistic and seamless connected experience in all aspects of mobility,” said Neil Shah, Vice President of Research at Counterpoint Research.

An OEM refers to an original equipment manufacturer, in this case, a car manufacturer.

Shah added that the smartphone would enable Polestar to bundle software, apps, services, and features such as remote control and car activation through a phone.

Furthermore, launching a phone could provide carmakers with valuable insights into their customers’ habits, according to Shah.

The Polestar 4 is available in China for 349,800 Chinese yuan ($47,890), making it more expensive than Tesla’s Model Y, which starts at 263,900 yuan.

Ingenlath positions the Polestar 4 as “more premium, more luxurious” than the Model Y.

He also mentioned that Polestar’s customers come from German carmakers BMW and Mercedes-Benz, and the car is positioned as a competitor to the Porsche Macan.