Hon Hai Precision Industry (Foxconn), together with its subsidiary FIH Mobile, and Stellantis have announced that they have entered into an agreement to set up a joint venture that will focus on delivering a smart cockpit solution for vehicles.

The joint venture, Mobile Drive, will be equally owned by Stellantis and FIH. The partnership has combined Foxconn's capabilities in ICT industry and smart solutions, with Stellantis' expertise in the automotive sector.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was initially signed on May 18, 2021 between the parties for the joint venture.

Mobile Drive will focus on developing infotainment and telematics solutions as well as a cloud service platform, which will aim to deliver a comprehensive smart cockpit solution, according to the companies. Its roadmap of software innovations will include artificial intelligence (AI)-based applications, navigation, voice assistance, e-commerce store operations, and payment services integration, amongst others. The hardware innovations will be related to the smart cockpit and telematics box.

Through the exchange of intellectual property by its founding entities and the vertical integration of respective supply chains, Mobile Drive will be able to create industry-leading automotive digital services to achieve a seamless user experience in and outside the vehicle, said the companies. In the future, the smart cockpit solution will not only be available to all Stellantis vehicles, but also to third-party vehicle manufacturers, expanding the reach and impact of the Mobile Drive venture as it aims to be a global leader in smart cockpit and connected vehicle solutions.

Foxconn, the wortld's leading EMS provider, has been making ambitious moves to expand its presence in the automotive industry, particularly electric vehicles (EV). In October 2020, Foxconn launched the MIH open platform for the development of electric vehiclces (EV).

Jack Cheng, CEO of MIH Alliance, in a recent interview by DIGITIMES, noted that the Foxconn-led initiative is looking to build a dynamic ecosystem where new players could stand a chance in the mobility industry.