Alibaba's new internet-connected car can pay for gas and control your home appliances

Alibaba has been working on an internet-connected car for the past year, and just unveiled the project's first model. The internet giant on Wednesday showed off its new SUV, the Roewe RX5, that it built along with state-owned automotive manufacturer SAIC (formerly the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation). SEE ALSO: Use your smartphone to park your car with Bosch's new automated system The new car, which is set to deliver in August and is already up for pre-order, will run a smart dashboard based on Alibaba's YunOS software that already powers phones and tablets from other makers along with a host of other appliances like refrigerators and air conditioners. Alibaba explains in a demo video that, like a personal mobile phone, each car is a unique device in an individual's array of gadgets. For instance, the car can pay for gas without the driver getting out and going through a payment app on the phone or taking out a physical credit card. Theoretically, a web-connected car can send a signal to the air conditioning unit back home when you're nearly there to switch on before you arrive.