Faraday Future is a car company that's building something far more ambitious than a car
Early reports suggested that Faraday Future might be developing an electric car, and that the car might be sold in the Chinese market, and that the company is gunning for Tesla.
As it turns out, Faraday's future ambitions may be world's larger than initially expected.
The Verge's Tamara Warren notes that the company appears to be trying to reimagine not just the automobile itself, but the manner in which we acquire them and how we interact with them on the road.
Warren points out that Faraday Future's eclectic bench of hires that span the tech, space and internet industries could be an indication that the company wants to build not just an electric car, but a vehicle that's highly connected.
Faraday Future's head of engineering and R&D, Nick Sampson, tells The Verge that "The car should begin to learn my desires ... not just me as owner or user but the people who are with me."
Manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz and Volvo are actively working on this very concept - that vehicles can "give" something to drivers - like more time to interact with passengers (perhaps while the car drives itself).
Sampson dropped another hint about Faraday Future's strategy when he said the car should learn the desires of the "owner or user," suggesting that the company's sales model may be unlike anything currently implemented in the auto industry. Tech Insider's Cadie Thompson quotes Sampson here:
"Our business model is not based around moving a car out of the dealer ... We envision this like a smart phone. The revenue starts once you get the device in the owners' hands. We're looking at subscriptions and apps and other opportunities."
So, while secrets are still the modus operandi for this well-funded startup, one thing is becoming clearer: Faraday Future doesn't just want to build a car. Its vision is far more ambitious than anyone thought.