Geely Launches Driverless Car Brand
Geely has teamed up with Chinese digital giant Baidu to launch the autonomous driving car brand Ji Yue.
The pair have been working on driverless technology tested in real world conditions in parts of the country by Baidu’s test mules. The new brand launches with its first model, the Ji Yue 01, built by Geely and is expected to debut in the last quarter of this year, Reuters reports.
Baidu will provide its expertise in smart cockpits, autonomous driving and artificial intelligence technologies. China’s industry ministry website also showed three electric vehicles under the Ji Yue brand were seeking regulatory approvals.
Geely had co-funded an electric vehicle venture, Jidu, with Baidu. The brand in June launched a robot-car concept, marking the first vehicle co-developed by the automaker and Baidu following a trend of global tech companies becoming involved in developing cars.
In a company statement, Geely said: “Beyond overseeing sales, services and marketing for the 01, Ji Yue will also build and develop its own charging network in China to meet consumer demand for smart intelligent electric vehicles.”
— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in Europe. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_ and Threads
