(Yicai Global) Aug. 24 -- Internet Goliath Alibaba Group Holding's intelligent driving technology will be used in electric cars developed by Chongqing Sokon Industrial Group, and the two companies will also cooperate to apply big data and cloud computing.

Sokon and Alibaba signed a letter of intent to cooperate in the former's home city of Chongqing, southwestern China yesterday, the auto parts manufacturer and new energy car developer announced.

The two companies will cooperate in electric car technology and the electric cars developed by Sokon will apply Alibaba's intelligent vehicle system, under the agreement, per the announcement.

Sokon will use Alibaba's big data technology for its market and customer management and the latter's applications like AliCloud cloud services and Ding Talk office solutions for its daily business operations, the announcement said.

Sokon set up its affiliate SF Motors, a smart car research and development company, in Silicon Valley in the US. SF Motors will use Sokon's newly-built smart car and electric car factories in China to produce electric cars, public information shows.

SF Motors first introduced two pure electric SUV concept cars at the end of March, one of which will accept pre-orders in the US by the end of this year, while China's will start in March. The car will come onto the market in the third quarter of next year and achieve delivery in large volume by then, per the company's plan.

Alibaba has cooperated with carmakers to promote the latter's use of its smart connected AliOS driving system. SAIC, Dongfeng Citroen and other major Chinese auto producers have already signed cooperation agreements with Alibaba.

Editor: Ben Armour