what3words Partners with Bordrin to Offer Chinese Drivers an Easy Way to Navigate to Precise Locations

what3words will be a key feature for the Chinese OEM, Bordrin, who will launch their iV6 with in-built what3words navigation when it hits the road in the first quarter of 2020 – being the first Chinese OEM to announce an integration with the location technology partner.

With Chinese consumers leading the way on the use of voice technologies, and with the increasing demands from Chinese drivers for tech-first cars, it’s time for a new, digital addressing system for China and the world.

Traditional street addressing is not built for a seamless voice input. For example, multiple streets in the same area can have the same name, meaning that the driver or the car risks selecting the wrong destination. Many addresses are also very similar; just one character entered incorrectly can send a driver far from their intended location. There are two streets in Nanjing, 7kms apart, named Zhongshan road) and (Zhongshan road). And lastly – traditional addresses lack the accuracy that 21st century devices need. Take Jinmao Tower in Shanghai, there is only one address, but there are 15 different entrances – meaning finding the right one can be very frustrating.

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A 3 word address is very easy to enter into any car navigation system, manually or via speech recognition. To prevent errors, every 3 word address is unique, and similar addresses are located far apart to avoid confusion. The intelligent AutoSuggest feature helps drivers to spot and correct their mistakes immediately. If someone needs to drive to a hotel in Xuzhou City, they will usually have to input a long address such as Mountain top of  Dangkou Park, Zhenxing Road, Xuzhou City. Now they can simply say ‘navigate to and know they’ll arrive at the correct front door.

Says Clare Jones, what3words CCO, ‘We are thrilled to be partnering with such an exciting challenger brand in the EV field, Bordrin. Bordrin iV6 is the first Chinese car with embedded what3words location technology.  We have found the pace of business and change in China completely invigorating, and are inspired by possibilities for what3words to improve customer experience in the very important Chinese automotive sector.’

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Grace Gao, Senior Director of Smart Connectivity of Bordrin, said: “By integrating what3words into Bordrin vehicles, we are enabling our drivers to seamlessly navigate the modern world – from the busy city centres to their (sub)urban retreats. By speaking just 3 words to our all new iV6, our customers can easily embark on an intelligent drive and discover incredible experiences.”

Established in 2016, Bordrin has world premiered two premium intelligent electric SUVs, Bordrin iV6 and Bordrin iV7, and three original electric platforms, i-LP, i-MP and i-SP, in April. As Bordrin’s first production model, the intelligent electric crossover iV6 will start production in the end of 2019 and hit the market in the first quarter of 2020.

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