Toyota distributor Hotai Motor Co (和泰汽車) yesterday launched a Toyota Motor Corp approved computer system developed by Asustek Computer Inc (華碩).
When a smartphone or tablet is connected to the system, it uses the screen of the mobile device to show information. When connected, the smartphone or tablet can access information from the tire pressure monitoring system, the rear camera, the driving recorder and head-up display, the company said.
Asustek has spent eight years developing the system, which costs NT$35,000 per unit, Hotai said, adding that other car computer systems are priced at about NT$60,000.
“Our customers do not need to purchase a computer and a screen for the system because their smartphone or tablet does the job just fine,” Hotai president Justin Su (蘇純興) told reporters yesterday.
The system is currently an optional extra on Hotai’s Wish multi-utility vehicle, Yaris subcompact car, Vios subcompact sedan and Prius C, a hybrid gasoline-electric subcompact hatchback, Su said.
Hotai has sent a version of the system to Toyota and the Japanese company is mulling whether to sell the system in other countries, Toyota and Hino director and chief officer of operations Eli Huang (黃明顯) said.
Huang said it took five months for Toyota to approve the system, which was shorter than the usual year and a half.
Meanwhile, Hotai spokesman Fred Hsieh (謝富來) said total car sales might be between 18,000 units and 20,000 units this month, down by 55 percent to 60 percent from 45,123 units last month earlier as customers refrain from buying cars in Ghost Month, which falls between July 27 and next Sunday this year.
Hsieh said Hotai’s market share might be lower than 33 percent this month, after the company sold 16,737 cars last month, a market share of 37.1 percent.
Hotai plans to unveil an upgraded version of the Yaris on Sept. 10, which would have more space than the previous version, Huang said.
The company aims to sell 1,500 Yaris’ a month, up from 1,000 units for the previous version, he said.
With the new Yaris, Hotai aims to acquire 30 percent of the two-box car market, Huang said.
Total sales of two-box cars are about 60,000 to 66,000 units a year, with the younger generation the biggest buyers as they are more careful about how they spend their money, Huang said.
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