Jidu Auto is a joint venture between Chinese car company

Geely Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd (ZGH), commonly known as Geely (吉利 "auspicious"), is a Chinese multinational automotive company headquartered in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. The company is privately held by Chinese billionaire entrepreneu ...

and

Baidu Baidu, Inc. ( ; , meaning "hundred times") is a Chinese multinational technology company specializing in Internet-related services and products and artificial intelligence (AI), headquartered in Beijing's Haidian District. It is one of the la ...

. Jidu Auto was founded in March 2021 as an intelligent electric vehicle company mainly focused on the development of electric vehicles and intends to release a full portfolio of electric vehicles in different segments starting in 2022.

History

Originally founded in March 2021 with an investment of $300 million, Jidu Auto completed a $400 million

Series A financing A series A round (also known as series A financing or series A investment) is the name typically given to a company's first significant round of venture capital financing. The name refers to the class of preferred stock sold to investors in exchan ...

in January 2022 from Baidu and Geely, On December 7, 2022, Jidu Auto changed its legal name to Shanghai Mihang Automobile Co., Ltd. On February 15, 2023, Jidu Auto announced that the firm would use Baidu's self-developed Ernie bot

Artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...

in its production cars as the first company to provide an interactive experience with artificial intelligence in production vehicles.

Relation with Ji Yue brand

Ji Yue (极越) brand was established in August 2023, a second company between Geely and Baidu to reconstruct the partnership between the two companies. The Ji Yue brand is 65% owned by Geely and 35% by Baidu which makes Ji Yue brand a subsidiary under Geely Group rather than a joint venture company like Jidu. Due to the Chinese government's policies, Baidu as the controlling company of Jidu, cannot obtain the qualification to manufacture cars. The purpose of establishment of Ji Yue was to turn Geely as the controlling company to solve the restriction of car manufacture qualification. The Jidu Auto become a technology solution company to develop AI driving technology and will not be an independent car marque. With the new Ji Yue brand, the previous Jidu Robo-01 was renamed as Ji Yue 01. The Ji Yue brand inherited the brand logo created by Jidu Auto.

Products

The Ji Yue vehicles will be manufactured in

Hangzhou Bay Hangzhou Bay, or the Bay of Hangzhou (), is a funnel-shaped inlet of the East China Sea, bordered by the province of Zhejiang and the municipality of Shanghai, which lies north of the Bay. The Bay extends from the East China Sea to its head a ...

Ningbo Ningbo (; Ningbonese: ''gnin² poq⁷'' , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), formerly romanized as Ningpo, is a major sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. It comprises 6 urban districts, 2 sate ...

, where Geely's headquarter and several Geely plants are located. * Ji Yue 01 (2023–present), mid-size SUV * Ji Yue 02 (to commence), mid-size sedan File:Jidu Robo-01 001.jpg, Ji Yue 01 File:Jidu Robo-02 on display front view.jpg, Ji Yue 02

Concept

* Jidu Robo-01 Concept (2022) * Jidu Robo-02 Concept (2022)

References

External links

Official website
(in Chinese) {{Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Geely brands Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 2021 Baidu Joint ventures