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Car and Driver: Aston Martin’s Collaboration with China’s LeTV Produces a Concept Infotainment System

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January 6, 201610 yr

Back in April, Aston Martin signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinese media conglomerate LeTV for the co-development of electric vehicles. This obscure move, understandably, went almost completely unnoticed by the automotive universe. Now, at CES nearly a year later, Aston Martin is debuting the AutoLink Rapide S concept, a normal Rapide S that’s been fitted with LeTV’s prototype infotainment interface and a host of displays. Given LeTV’s tie-in with mysterious EV startup Faraday Future, you can bet we’re taking notice.
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LeTV is a Chinese company that’s kicking off a connected ecosystem of displays, smart devices, and more that are all anchored to its vast library of media, mostly video. Somewhere in all of this, connected electric cars have been deemed a point of focus, mostly so that LeTV can potentially serve yet another content stream: to the car. Specifically, LeTV is looking toward autonomous cars, since occupants of those will have the free time necessary to consume its content while on the move. This appears to be one of the key reasons LeTV is a partner/investor in the far-out Faraday Future EV concept also on display at CES, although it seems LeTV’s investment in Faraday Future is an altogether separate business proposition from its relationship with Aston Martin.

The AutoLink Rapide S isn’t as future-think as all of that, though. Instead, it’s merely a vessel for LeTV to show off its AutoLink connected in-car user interface. For the Rapide S concept, the result is a new 12.2-inch TFT digital gauge cluster and 13.3 inch high-definition touch screen stuffed into its dashboard, both equipped with LeTV’s nascent AutoLink user interface. AutoLink, as an infotainment platform, can work with “LeTV’s other devices” and will, according to Aston Martin, “include remote monitoring and services with the support of LeCloud through the vehicle’s Wi-Fi system.” Details on what exactly the LeTV user interface is like—and what it offers beyond Aston Martin’s current infotainment capabilities—isn’t clear. What’s of greater interest to us is where Aston’s 1000-hp electric Rapide is.