Baidu is partnering with Geely to make smart electric cars, a milestone for the carmaker’s efforts to sell its vehicle technology to third parties, reported the Financial Times.
China’s largest search engine provider said on Monday that it would set up a subsidiary to make battery powered cars. The vehicles will be sold under a new brand, and loaded with Baidu’s autonomous driving, voice assistance and mapping technology.
Geely, China’s largest private automaker by sales, will invest in the venture and provide its newly launched system for building electric vehicles, making Baidu the first confirmed customer for the platform, said the FT.
Yale Zhang, founder of consultancy Automotive Foresight in Shanghai, said the tie-up was a win for both Baidu and Geely: “One is an internet company, the other is a carmaker; they complement each other”.
