Thailand in smart devices maker LeEco’s sights
FAST-GROWING Chinese company LeEco, plans to launch a series of smart devices in Southeast Asia, including Thailand, next year.
“This will be LeEco’s first expansion into the SEA market…We’re eyeing Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore,” said Brian Hui, head of Global LeMall, an e-commerce site, after the product launch event in San Francisco recently.
LeMall is a subsidiary of LeEco that was launched in 2010 in China to sell next-generation smart devices, consumer electronic products and electronic gadgets.
Their large populations and Internet infrastructure are the key reasons for it to choose these three countries first, he said, but declined to go into the details of the timeline of the product launch, including types and models.
“The strategic launch of the products in SEA will be like in the US,” he said.
LeEco on October 19 launched its disruptive ecosystem model in the US, which breaks boundaries between screens to seamlessly deliver content and services on a wide array of connected smart devices, including smartphones, televisions and smart bikes.
It also introduced virtual reality and the concept of electric self-driving vehicles.
The move came after its success in China before expanding into India last year and Russia in September.
The electric self-driving vehicle project is underway in collaboration with many strategic partners in various aspects for production, which is expected to begin next year.
At the product-launch event, LeEco hosted more than 1,700 media representatives, analysts, industry partners, consumers and employees to unveil its open, integrated Internet ecosystem consisting of platform, content, apps and an array of connected smart devices that bring it to life.
LeEco offers a unique model that puts users at the centre of the ecosystem with disruptive pricing that makes premium devices affordable to all, and a feedback process that helps to refine the experience and define future products and offerings.
“We have created a new business model that will lead the next era of technology – the ecosystem era,” said YT Jia, founder, chairman and CEO of LeEco.
LeEco was disrupting several categories and changing the paradigm by breaking down barriers and boundaries between industries and screens to create a better experience and more value for both individuals and industries, he said.
“Our global vision for a connected ecosystem where great content can be enjoyed on a range of devices that are disruptively priced is what fuels our global expansion,” said Richard Ren, president of LeEco North America.
The new products will go on sale on November 2 via its LeMall e-commerce site.
Hui said LeEco had a very aggressive target in the US market and expects to break through there following what it had achieved in China, where it has a stronghold.
LeEco, formerly known as Letv, is a global pioneering Internet and technology company with multiple Internet ecosystems across content, devices, applications and platforms.
It features a comprehensive integrated ecosystem including mobile, TV, automotive, Internet and cloud, sports, content, Internet finance and video production.
