Baidu has partnered with Geely to create a new brand, Jiyue, with the first model, the Jiyue 01, entering a catalog of regulatory filings and is expected to debut in the fourth quarter.

Jidu was officially launched in March 2021 and released a limited edition of its so-called robocar, the Robo-01 Lunar Edition, on October 27, 2022, with a starting price of RMB 399,800 ($54,880)

On December 30, 2022, Jidu unveiled its second model, the Robo-02, at the Guangzhou auto show, where it showed off the Robo-01. The Jidu Robo-02 is an all-electric coupe with a similar familial design at the front as the Robo-01 SUV.

Jidu was 55 percent owned by Baidu and 45 percent by Geely at its inception. The Jiyue brand, however, is majority-owned by Geely, according to local media.

The operating entity of the Jiyue brand is Hangzhou Jiyuyue Automotive Technology Co Ltd, which was established on August 9 and is 65 percent owned by Geely, with the remaining 35 percent owned by a Baidu affiliate, according to Yicai.

The series of moves comes at a time of stricter regulations on car-making qualifications in China, but for Baidu, the ability to launch its first model under a new brand and name also paves the way for more car-making endeavors to follow.

Similar to Baidu, another local tech giant, Xiaomi, hasn't made any new progress in its car-making efforts over the past few months, even though it aims to have its first model in mass production by the first half of 2024.

Xiaomi founder, chairman and CEO Lei Jun held his latest annual personal speech yesterday, but didn't mention anything about the company's car business during the speech, which lasted three hours.

($1 = RMB 7.2845)

Regulatory filing images of Jiyue 01: