Jidu Auto Takes The Lead In Mass-Producing Robocars

Jidu Auto, a joint venture between Chinese tech giant Baidu Inc and carmaker Geely Holding Group, intends to launch its first mass-produced robocar model this autumn and open its first self-owned store in the fourth quarter of this year.

According to Jidu CEO Xia Yiping, the mass-produced version will be 90 percent similar to the concept car and will have level 4 autonomous driving capability that requires no human intervention.

"We will build our own sales, delivery and after-sale service system," Xia said while adding the EVs will be manufactured in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, where Geely has several plants.

The company has unveiled the Robo-01 concept robocar. The futuristic design of the concept car includes a U-shaped folding steering wheel, a 3D borderless one-piece screen, a 3D human-machine co-driving map, full-scene voice inside and outside the car, millisecond voice response, and offline intelligent voice assistant.

The robocar is equipped with autonomous driving software technology powered by Baidu and lidar sensors, and it is capable of self-learning and self-improvement based on user behaviour, according to Xia.

Xia also stated that the design of the company's second mass-produced model will be unveiled at this year's Guangzhou Auto Show.

Jidu Auto, which was founded in March of last year, completed a $400 million Series-A financing in January. Jidu plans to accelerate R&D and mass production now that the financing has been completed.

Xia explained that Baidu will use its advantage in software and artificial intelligence capabilities, while Geely will contribute its expertise in automobile design and manufacturing.

According to Zhang Xiang, a researcher at North China University of Technology's Automobile Industry Innovation Research Center in Beijing, Baidu has accumulated a large amount of data and experience in operating autonomous driving vehicles in several cities across the country, which could be applied to the mass-produced model of the robocar.

According to Zhang, Baidu's decision to enter the burgeoning electric vehicle segment will help the company diversify its business and explore new revenue streams.