Shanghai (ZXZC)-BAIC Group recently signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Baidu, attempting to set an example for the industry to explore a comprehensive eco-system which can deeply integrate AI into automobiles. They announced the strategic cooperation would focus on such areas as autonomous driving and connected cars. 

According to the statement, based on Baidu Apollo’s opening platform and BAIC Group’s vehicle platform, the companies plan to speed the realization of BAIC’s autonomous cars with the help of Baidu’s AI technologies. Sources have it that they will realize the mass production of L3-featured autonomous vehicles in 2019, and L4-featured autonomous vehicles in 2021.

In terms of connected vehicles, Baidu Apollo will deeply integrate DuerOS, vehicle information security, image recognition products and technologies into BAIC Group’s on-board system and jointly develop connected products. It is predicted that BAIC Group’s self-owned branded vehicles will fully adopt Baidu Apollo’s connected products, and the total sales equipped with Baidu’s connected products will exceed 1,000,000 units.

In this agreement, the technologies and solutions for autonomous driving, intelligent connected cars, clouding service, information security of cloud vehicle, test and model operation for autonomous cars will be gradually adopted on BAIC’s passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles and NEVs, helping shaping the 2.0 era for BAIC Group.

During the ceremony, heads of both parties showed great confidence in cooperating with each other and great ambition in autonomous cars. BAIC and Baidu are giants in auto or Internet industry and they are ambitious to promote the upgrading of China’s auto industry.