Chinese search giant Baidu is considering building its own electric car and has held talks with automakers, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Baidu is considering contract manufacturing and may also set up a joint venture with automakers, the report said, citing a person familiar with the matter, adding that the plan is more aggressive than other Internet companies such as Tencent, Amazon, and Alphabet, which have also developed car-related technology or invested in smart car startups.
Baidu has opened preliminary talks with Geely, Guangzhou Automobile Group, and FAW Group's Hongqi, but no decision has been made, the report said.
In a response to cnTechPost, Baidu said it had "no comment" on the matter.
Baidu set up its autonomous driving unit Apollo in 2017 to provide mainly artificial intelligence technology and has partnered with automakers such as Geely, Volkswagen, Toyota, and Ford.
Baidu unveils automated driving assistance solution ANP, similar to NIO NOP
Baidu operates Go Robotaxi, a self-driving cab service with safety drivers, in Beijing, Changsha and Cangzhou, and plans to expand to 30 cities within three years.
Baidu Apollo was granted permission by Beijing transportation authorities on December 4 for five of its vehicles to conduct driverless road tests without a safety driver, making the search giant the first and only company permitted to conduct such tests on public streets in Beijing.
The move is the latest development that will accelerate Baidu’s push to commercialize autonomous driving.
The permits will enable Baidu to gradually reduce human intervention on test vehicles and eventually remove in-car safety drivers from its autonomous vehicle road tests, which are necessary for cost reduction and scalability of autonomous driving.
Baidu gets first permits for driverless road tests without safety officer in Beijing
