Huawei Technologies, the Chinese tech giant subject to intense speculation over how big a role it wants to play in the auto industry, is dispelling persistent rumors it aims to build intelligent vehicles by acquiring automakers.
It hasn’t made any investment in automakers, the private Chinese technology giant said in a statement this week.
“We won’t invest in auto companies in the future either, nor will we control or acquire shares [of any auto company],” it added.
What the auto industry needs is not “Huawei-brand vehicles” but its “information and communication technology accumulated over the past 30 years to help automakers better develop future-oriented vehicles,” the company said.
It is not the first time Huawei has signaled it has no intention of becoming a smart vehicle maker.
In a November posting on its website, Huawei admonished managers pressing the company to build intelligent vehicles and reaffirm its position as a technology supplier for such vehicles. The post was cleared by company founder Ren Zhengfei.
Speculation about Huawei’s carmaking ambitions remains rampant after the company was courted by three state-owned automakers – BAIC Motor Co., Changan Automobile Co. and GAC Motor Co. — and private light-vehicle manufacturer Sokon, to upgrade or develop connected electric vehicles.