The union of Baidu, the renowned search-engine powerhouse, and Geely, one of China’s premier private car manufacturers, is making waves in China’s increasingly competitive electric vehicle (EV) market. Together, they have unveiled JiYue 01, an upscale battery-operated sport-utility vehicle (SUV) with the added allure of autonomous driving capabilities.
JiYue 01, a vehicle tailored for the tech-savvy and environment-conscious consumer, not only boasts a voice-activated control technology but also an impressive range. On a single charge, it can cover a whopping 720 kilometers. What’s more, it’s priced competitively, ranging from 249,000 yuan (US$34,148) to 339,900 yuan, placing it in direct contention with Tesla’s Model Y, which is tagged between 263,900 yuan and 363,900 yuan.
Speaking about the innovative vehicle, Luo Gang, the chief operating officer of Hangzhou Jiyue Automotive Technology, the product of the Baidu-Geely collaboration, shared his optimism. He envisions the JiYue 01 as the first step towards crafting a genuine “robocar” for the future. “While we trust the quality and capabilities of our product, we acknowledge that we need to ramp up our brand awareness to truly establish our presence in the market,” he stated.
Hangzhou Jiyue Automotive Technology has touted the JiYue 01 as the world’s initial passenger vehicle equipped with Level 4 (L4) autonomous driving capacity. As defined by SAE International, a global standards organization, Level 4 autonomy enables the car to navigate most scenarios without human intervention, though a human can still manually take over if required. Baidu’s Apollo, a unit specializing in autonomous driving, has lent its expertise by supplying the vehicle’s self-driving software. However, it’s essential to note that Beijing has yet to sanction the use of L3 and L3+ autonomous driving on its roads, mandating that drivers remain hands-on at all times.
Interestingly, the JiYue 01 has chosen to omit the high-precision mapping feature, which offers pinpoint accuracy down to a mere 20cm. The strategic partnership between Baidu and Geely, the Zhejiang-based firm owning Volvo, bore fruit in January 2021 with the formation of Jidu Auto. This joint venture, focusing predominantly on crafting intelligent electric vehicles, is primarily controlled by Baidu with a 55% stake, leaving Geely with the remaining 45%.
Subsequently, Jiyue Automotive was established earlier this year to center its operations on car assembly, with Geely holding 65% of the equity and Baidu, the remainder.
In its bid to redefine smart mobility, Geely announced that a dedicated charging network would soon emerge, catering exclusively to Jiyue users. Additionally, the JiYue 01 will be showcased in 45 dealer outlets spanning 30 cities on the mainland. China’s EV domain is bustling, with about 200 contenders, from traditional automakers grappling with the transition to battery-operated vehicles to pure EV producers and tech giants like Huawei Technologies and Xiaomi.
Currently, a third of the new vehicles gracing China’s roads are battery-powered. With EV sales projected to surge by 55% over the previous year, hitting 8.8 million units, the market is only set to expand.
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