LeEco is one of the numerous smartphone companies that are pretty big in China, but virtually non-existent elsewhere. However, whereas most of these companies try to gain recognition outside of China by releasing smartphones that are either ridiculously cheap or ridiculously unique, LeEco decided to build an electric, semi-autonomous car. Known as the LeSEE, not only does this car give us a glimpse at what the future of the automotive industry looks like, is should prove to the Apple Car naysayers that a smartphone company can develop a car.
While Tesla engineers have been gradually adding autonomous capabilities to its electric stable, Chinese firm LeEco has gone one step further and announced a car that can do it right from the off. The LeSEE, announced last night in China, managed to drive itself out of a shipping container and on to the stage with little more than a few voice commands spoken into a smartphone by CEO Jia Yueting. It even reversed, too. Now, to be fair, you can summon your Tesla via smartphone, but not using voice commands, yet. But this is a big jump for LeEco, a company that has previously produced smartphones and has zero pedigree in the automative space. LeEco also recently announced its investment in a joint venture between Aston Martin and Faraday Future, a direct competitor of Tesla, further signalling its intentions in the space. The front of the car features an LED loop that can be lit in different spots such as indicators or fog lights. The rear passenger doors, known as ‘suicide doors’ open from a hinge at the rear, as opposed to the front.
