Unprofitable China EV Maker Nio Unveils Phone for Drivers

(Bloomberg) — While Chinese tech companies have long harbored ambitions of moving into the electric car industry, EV upstart Nio Inc. has gone the other way, releasing its first mobile phone Thursday.

The unprofitable automaker is targeting its loyal customer base with the phone, which will sync with Nio cars to act as a key fob, display information such as battery charge and control functions like self-parking and the in-cabin infotainment system. The Android-based handset will be priced starting at 6,499 yuan ($890) — the same as Huawei Technologies Co.’s latest flagship Mate 60 Pro — Nio said as it unveiled the phone at its “Innovation Tech Day” in Shanghai.