Two years ago, Huawei was one of the largest smartphone makers in the world. It also was set to change the world with its 5G solutions. The company had a bright future in the smartphone and 5G segment. In fact, it was the first smartphone maker to represent a menace to Samsung’s domain. However, everything went down the hill in May 2019. The US Government put Huawei on the entity list determining that it is a threat to national security.
The government alleges that Huawei has strong ties with the Chinese government and this is a risk for user security. The company tried its best to lift the ban, but it didn’t happen. Due to the ban, Huawei lost access to Google Mobile Services as well as other US-based software and hardware solutions. The company tried to overcome the problems with its Huawei Mobile Services, but the situation became complicated last year when the ban forced TSMC to stop shipping 5nm chipset to the company.
Now, Huawei’s future in the smartphone market is uncertain, as the brand no longer can produce cutting-edge chips for its smartphones. The brand recently sold its sub-brand Honor in a bid to concentrate its efforts in the major brand. The brand also has been expanding its business to various to be ready for an eventual exit from the smartphone market. Over the recent months, the brand brought smart TVs, wearables, and accessories. However, according to a fresh report, the company will make a drastic move joining to an unexpected segment – the electric cars segment.
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Huawei-branded Electric vehicles to come late this year
According to the report, Huawei is planning on making electric cars under its own brand. Some models may even launch before the end of this year. Apparently, the company has already started internally designing the EVs and approaching supplies. Not long ago, we saw a report suggesting that Huawei was interested in making automobile parts. Now, it seems that the company’s true goal is to develop and build its own electric car.
Richard Yu, head of Huawei’s consumer business group, who was in charge of the company’s amazing rise in the smartphone world, is said to shift his focus to EVs. The brand will target the mass-market segment. So we can expect the cars to come with reasonable prices. Huawei is reportedly in talks with Changan Automobile, a state-owned entity in China, as well as BAIC Group’s BluePark New Energy Technology and other automakers. The company wants to use its car plants to make its Electric Vehicles.
For now, everything is going under wraps. Huawei’s spokesman denied plans to design electric-vehicles or produce Huawei branded vehicles. According to him “Huawei is not a car manufacturer”.