On August 14, Jiyue 01, the flagship model under Geely and Baidu’s new auto robotic brand was exposed by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). Jiyue 01 will be manufactured by Geely and is expected to be delivered as soon as the fourth quarter of this year.
Jiyue (极越) was established on August 9 this year as a joint venture between Geely and Baidu’s Shanghai Mihang Automobile company. Geely holds 65% while Baidu holds 35%. A total of 10 million yuan in capital was registered. The legal representative of the company is Zhang Quan, Senior Vice President of Geely, and General Manager is Xia Yiping, CEO of Jidu Automobile. Its business scope includes new energy vehicle sales, auto parts retail, electric vehicle charging infrastructure operation, and battery sales.
Earlier in March 2021, Baidu and Geely jointly invested in the establishment of a new automotive brand called Jidu. Since then, Baidu has acquired the status of an automobile manufacturer. Later in June 2022, Jidu’s first concept car called Robo-01 was released. Jiyue 01 is the successor of Robo-01.
Jiyue 01 will be built based on Geely’s SEA architecture. The new car will provide a single-motor and a dual-motor version, according to the declared information. The single-motor version will be equipped with a 200 kW motor, while the dual-motor version will be equipped with a front and rear motor, each outputs 200 kW for a combined power of 400 kW. Its ternary lithium battery will be supplied by CATL. It is worth noting that the black model will be powered by lithium iron phosphate battery packs supplied by Honeycomb Energy. The black model might be a special edition.
Positioned as a crossover SUV, Jiyue 01 measures 4853mm/1990mm/1611mm, and the wheelbase is 3000mm. The new car is equipped with 31 sensors for driving assistance including two lidars and multiple 8-megapixel cameras, in conjunction with the Baidu Apollo system, which uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 chip.
The new car will be offered in three rim designs, available in 19-inch and 21-inch.
Furthermore, different optional sunroof designs and a two-color exterior for the dual-motor version will be offered for consumers to choose from.
As of now, the cruising range and interior details have not been revealed, we’ll watch closely for more information, stay tuned!
Source: Sohu, Chinese MIIT, Chinese MIIT
I’m confused – if this “Jiyue” has been established in August 2023, what happened then to already existing for the latest years Geely-Baidu company you’ve covered in December?
https://carnewschina.com/2022/12/07/jidu-automobile-has-a-new-name/
Yes Rader, Baidu and Geely teamed up way back in March 2021, but shareholders in the joint venture have changed a lot since then, and now in addition to the base Robo-01 (L4, or ride handling) model we heard about, and was apparently launched in 10/22, a more consumer-oriented Jiyue version will be launched.
So I agree, some clarification would be helpful.
Based on the latest information I know so far, according to Geely and Baidu, Jidu will continue to exist as a brand, but its focus will be on the research and development of high-end intelligent solutions for automotive, and Jidu will leverage Geely’s qualifications and manufacturing capabiltiies for its future products.
This change is largely driven by the fact that Baidu wasn’t able to obtain the permission from the Chinese government to manufacture new energy vehicles, which was what Baidu was hoping for when the Jidu brand was established. Only 16 new companies/brands including BAIC New Energy, Changjiang Automobile, Chery New Energy, JAC Volkswagen, and Changhe Suzuki have been approved to manufacture new energy vehicles. So now, the other method to realize Baidu’s car-making desire is through either acquisitions, OEMs, or cooperation with companies with production qualifications; which in this case, Baidu is collaborating with Geely under the Jiyue brand.
Will follow up with more information as I know more.