A mere two years after its inception, Baidu’s robotic- and AI-centric EV brand JIDU is getting a rebranding with the help of Geely – previously a minority stake holder increasing its role to help get the partnership’s flagship model into production this year. Introducing JI YUE.
In January of 2021, Baidu announced it was expanding from software development into physical EV production, joining forces with multinational automotive manufacturer Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd., better known as Geely, to produce a new breed of EVs. By March of that year, the JIDU marque was officially unveiled following $300 million in startup capital. That initial round was joined by another $400 million in Series A funding in January of 2022, led by Baidu.
Rather than just build regular old EVs, JIDU was created to popularize autonomous driving and human-machine interaction technologies. JIDU’s first model concept, the ROBO-01, debuted in early 2022 equipped with tons of unique AI including pixel headlamps and an internal voice interaction system allowing for communication between the “human-car-environment.”
Last summer, Baidu’s CEO was touting JIDU’s autonomous technology as a generation ahead of Tesla, which was also planned for brand’s second robocar, the ROBO-02, which it teased this past December.
Baidu has remained relatively quiet on the progress front in bringing its JIDU EVs to market in China, until recently when its partner Geely announced it would be taking on a larger role. Here’s the latest.
Geely restructures partnership with Baidu to form JI YUE
According to a press release from Geely, it has expanded its strategic partnership with Baidu, launching a new premium intelligent EV brand under its Holding Group umbrella called JI YUE. In the release, the company shared its logo and first vehicle – the JI YUE 01 – both of which looked rather familiar.
JI YUE has taken over the JIDU logo and its flagship vehicle is simply the ROBO-01 with a new name. This move admittedly confused us, but we reached out to Geely directly and got clarification.
Previously, Geely owned a 45% minority stake in JIDU while Baidu owned 55%. With the creation of the JI YUE marque, Geely now owns a 65% stake and will operate it under its own umbrella, while Baidu maintains a 35% minority stake.
A representative for Geely also told Electrek that JIDU will continue to operate as a separate entity and “technology facilitator” to its successor JI YUE. With the JIDU JI YUE marque now under its wing, Geely says the 01 will be built on its Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) and make its official debut in Q4 of this year. Stay tuned.