M&M to partner with Samsung to launch digital keys for electric SUVs

Mahindra & Mahindra and Samsung have collaborated to develop digital keys for electric SUVs, integrated with Samsung Wallet, thereby eliminating the need for physical keys, a senior official of the Korean electronics giant said on Wednesday.

Samsung India, senior director for services and apps business, Madhur Chaturvedi said Mahindra is the first Indian automobile firm to have taken the initiative, while Samsung Wallet supports the digital keys feature of foreign companies like BMW, BYD, and Mercedes-Benz in India.

The service will be available for Samsung Wallet users on Galaxy Z and S series devices. Mahindra became the first Indian automobile company to collaborate with Samsung for digital keys.

"We are very delighted that Mahindra is the first Indian auto OEM brand where we are integrating the digital car key feature with Samsung Wallet. Also, we have support for digital home keys with brands like Yale, as well as Samsung's own lock solution that's available in multiple countries and selectively available in India as well," Chaturvedi said.

Mahindra eSUV, inbuilt with the feature, will be sold from November onwards, while there will be a phased rollout for the existing cars, he added.

"Existing car owners will need to get their software updated at the Mahindra service centre. This feature will be available on Galaxy Z and S series launched after 2020. We are also planning to make it available on A series devices as well," Chaturvedi said.

Mahindra eSUV car owners will need to pair their Samsung Wallet with both car keys. Once paired, they will not need to carry physical car keys for locking and unlocking their vehicle.

Chaturvedi said car owners will be unable to unlock their car even if the battery of the phone drains out.

The great thing about the NFC solution is that even if your phone's battery is out, with the residual power of the phone, the digital key will still work.

"You can tap the switched off phone or power off the phone, the car will get locked and unlocked. And you can place it there on the charging stand while the phone starts charging. Regardless of that, you can turn on the ignition on and off," Chaturvedi said.

He said that the discussions are on to include other Mahindra vehicles as well to enable digital key features.

"We are delighted to partner with Samsung to bring yet another first-in-class feature -- Digital Car key via Samsung wallet, ensuring every journey is even more seamless and convenient," Mahindra & Mahindra, Chief Executive Officer - Automotive Division, Nalinikanth Gollagunta said.