Baidu has teamed up with Zhejiang Geely to establish the electric vehicle brand Ji Yue, whose first model was revealed in August in the form of the 01 crossover.
Baidu, often billed as China’s Google, is already deeply involved in the automotive sector in the area of self-driving cars, having successfully run a robotaxi service in parts of China for the past few years.
The company is now taking an additional step with the launch of Ji Yue, which it has described as a “premium intelligent technology brand.”
Ji Yue vehicles will leverage Baidu’s own AI, connectivity, mapping, and self-driving technologies, and Geely’s expertise in car manufacturing. Ji Yue will also have its own charging network in China.
More details on Ji Yue and its 01 crossover will be revealed closer to the market launch in China later this year, but Baidu has confirmed the crossover is based on Geely’s SEA modular EV platform underpinning multiple models across the Geely portfolio of brands, including the Zeekr 001, and upcoming Volvo EX30 and Polestar 4 crossovers.
While tech companies in the U.S. like Alphabet Inc. and Apple have either backed away from or stalled launching their own car brands, their counterparts in China aren’t holding back. Examples include Amazon rival Alibaba which teamed up with SAIC to establish the brand IM, and phone maker Xiaomi which is working independently on its own car brand.
