Asia Tech Wire (Apr 18) -- Chinese state-owned automaker FAW Group Corp. will launch high-end smartphones in conjunction with Geely-backed car tech firm Ecarx (Nasdaq: ECX).

FAW and Ecarx signed an agreement on Thursday, under which the two companies will start a comprehensive strategic cooperation in the field of smart cockpit, jointly launching Hongqi smart cockpit and Hongqi OS.

Hongqi is a luxury automobile brand operated by FAW and one of the earliest car brands in China.

The two companies also said they will jointly launch high-end smartphones under the Hongqi brand.

In fact, FAW is not the first automaker in China to announce a smartphone launch.

Electric car maker Nio Inc. (NYSE: NIO) kicked off sales of its first smartphone, the NIO Phone, in September 2023, starting at 6,499 yuan.

Despite the phone's poor sales and lack of presence, Nio is continuing to push forward with its phone business.

Nio founder William Li said at an event in March that the company has completed development of the second-generation NIO Phone.

The phone is in the manufacturing stage and will be released soon, Li said.

At the same time, he added, "Nio will only launch one new phone every year."

Geely's premium EV brand Polestar also officially launched its first cell phone product, the Polestar Phone, on Tuesday.

The phone is a collaboration between Polestar's design team in Gothenburg, Sweden, and Xingji Meizu's design team in China.

Geely founder Eric Li formally launched Xingji Meizu Group in March 2023, upgraded from his startup Xingji Technology, as a key part of the ecosystem of mobility technologies he has been leading.