Geely's boss makes an impression with smart eyewear
Shot by Zhou Shengjie. Edited by Zhou Weiran. Subtitles by Zhou Weiran.
Geely Chairman Li Shufu, wearing smart glasses, gives a speech at the Shanghai Global Investment Promotion Conference on Tuesday.
Geely Chairman Li Shufu promised to expand its Shanghai-based workforce by a quarter, to 10,000 personnel, to boost research and development in autonomous driving, new energy vehicles, and smart products such as AR glasses.
The high point of his speech at the Shanghai Global Investment Promotion Conference on Tuesday was that Li was wearing StarV Air2 AR glasses, developed by Geely-invested DreamSmart.
"The manuscript is projected on my glasses, allowing me to communicate through advanced technology," Li told the gathering.
Smart glasses can be used for speech, translation, and office activities.
The StarV Air2 glasses, developed and manufactured in Shanghai, have gone through two phases of mass production, with 50,000 pieces already sold.
According to International Data Corp, the global market for smart glasses is expected to expand by 18.3 percent year on year to 12.1 million units by 2025. These devices are mostly sold in China and the United States.
Shanghai has traditionally served as an "accelerator" for Geely's technological development and global expansion. According to Li, the automaker has developed over ten projects in the city, and its present employment exceeds 8,000 personnel.
By 2024, Geely's total income in Shanghai is expected to exceed 70 billion yuan (US$9.6 billion), with total tax payments topping 3 billion yuan.
Looking ahead, Geely will prioritize research and development in new energy vehicles, intelligent connectivity, and methanol-hydrogen ecology, all of which will help Shanghai establish a world-class automotive innovation ecosystem.
