Tencent wants to be foreign automakers’ go-to company for tech in China’s electric car market

BMW’s iX electric SUV in China was the first global car brand to include the automobile version of Tencent’s WeChat messaging app, according to the Chinese tech company.

The Chinese internet giant wants to sell technology to foreign companies that want to sell electric vehicles in China.

The vice president of Tencent Intelligent Mobility is working with BMW and some U.S. auto companies. He wouldn't say which American car companies it's working with.

A new cloud computing product called the "Tencent Intelligent Automobile Cloud" was launched on Friday.

All technological aspects of an electric car can be covered by the all-in-one cloud product. Some of the features include giving drivers access to the social media and map apps, as well as storing data in a way that is optimal for training self-driving cars.

The user interface may be a selling point for China's drivers considering how many online entertainment apps are available in China.

The role Facebook has played in China is something that tech rivals have yet to match.

One of the most popular entertainment apps in China is QQ Music, one of the two mainSpotify-like apps in China.

The third most popular navigation app in Apple's App store in China is the one from Tencent.

It is necessary for cars to have an agreement with Tencent to allow passengers or drivers to use their apps.

The company said that those app-level partnerships started around the same time that they began working with automakers for self-driving cars.

Due to regulation of current technology, players in China's auto industry are betting that local drivers will want more self-drive features.

In the first quarter of this year, 23% of new cars sold in China came with a limited level of assisted driving.

With the new cloud computing product announced last week, Liu said overseas car companies could develop vehicles with navigation and assisted-driving features.

The data is owned by the consumer and is owned by the original equipment manufacturer.

The data is stored in the cloud. The second thing is that we have an entire system. Our own service, as well as our partners, are included in that ecosystems.

More than 40 auto brands, including BMW, SAIC and Nio, are covered by the company's partnership. He mentioned partnerships with German and Japanese companies.

CNBC requested comment from BMW, but they did not reply. The launch event for thecent intelligent automobile cloud was attended by representatives from SAIC and Nio.