At Global Mobile Internet Conference held today in Beijing, Tencent released its first ever Internet of vehicle (IoV) hardware Lubao Box. The product will be put into mass production at the end of June, said Ma Zhe, vice president of the company. Tencent added that Lubao Box will be sold both on e-commerce platforms and in 4S stores.
Users can plug the product into the OBD (on-board diagnostics) ports of their cars, where vehicle owner or repair technician can gain access to the current status of the vehicles. Powered by Bluetooth connectivity, the plug-and-play gadget can be thus connected to smartphones and drivers can check the status of their cars via Lubao, a compatible mobile app developed by Tencent.
In addition, the service will also give suggestions and scores on the driving habits of users, who can share these scores to social networking platforms like, Tencent Weibo, WeChat and Sina Weibo.
At the same time, Tencent partnered with leading Chinese insurance company PICC and Shell Group to launch a car service platform. PICC will provide free roadside assistance to Lubao Box users, while both of the partners will offer Lubao Box users custom car maintenance services.
image credit: Tencent
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