While many car manufacturers treat software as a tightly-guarded secret, Chinese carmaker Geely wants to treat it as an open source platform, particularly in developing its Lynk & Co 01 SUV.

The company recently launched its Lynk & Co brand along with its first electric vehicle, the aptly named 01 compact SUV, the most connected car to date accordingly.

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The compact 01 SUV is an open source software platform developed by the company, with some help from two tech giants: Alibaba and Microsoft, according to Engadget.

With an open source platform, developers can freely create apps and features for the car. Geely has even launched the first dedicated app store for cars. The idea is still in its early stage of development, but many tech experts are optimistic about it.

By providing an open source platform, developers can freely compete in the market without the need to follow restrictions.

Experts are hoping it will not be long until developers start to swarm the platform with new ideas. Among the most talked about ideas for a car app are music streaming services and custom navigation apps that use more than just the conventional built-in car GPS.

Lynk & Co has yet to fully disclose the hardware and software specs of the 01 SUV. However, the company did confirm that they will use the Compact Modular Architecture used by its sister band Volvo. This means that the company is designing the 01 SUV with driver safety on top of the priority list.

Compact Modular Architecture is also known for its slew of features including driver assist, adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency brake assist, and pedestrian detection.

TagsGeely, China Automaker, Lynk Co O1 Comact SUV