(April 27): In Shanghai, aerospace executive Lu Hao didn't just buy a sleek electric SUV from Nio, China's answer to Tesla . He bought Nio's whole vision of a future where social media, e-commerce and the daily commute converge in one lifestyle app. In the morning, the 31-year-old eats cereal bought from the automaker's Nio Life online store while chatting on its app with other Nio owners. Geely, China's biggest private automaker, launched a new electric Zeekr brand with a similar strategy of city centre showrooms and lifestyle product lines. Meanwhile BMW, which has a long-time lifestyle product line, launched its car-owner app in China in last September.

Source: The Edge Markets April 27, 2021 07:18 UTC