A little over a year after its creation, the smart electric vehicle startup JIDU is about to officially unveil the concept of its first vehicle, called “Robocar”. Following delays due to COVID-19 restrictions in China, JIDU has announced that the electric vehicle concept will debut at its ROBODAY event in June.
In January 2021, Baidu announced that it was moving from software development to physical production of electric vehicles, partnering with Geely to produce electric vehicles. In March, the JIDU brand was born with $300 million in start-up capital. This was followed by another $400m Series A funding in January 2022, led by Baidu.
Rather than just building more electric vehicles, JIDU will focus on popularizing autonomous driving and human-computer interaction technologies. This journey will begin with its flagship electric vehicle, currently called “Robocar”.
After its initial introduction, JIDU quickly began promoting the Robocar as a nameplate for fully autonomous electric vehicles that combine the emotion and intelligence of the interactive robot within the driving experience. In late 2021, Baidu Founder, Chairman and CEO Robin Li revealed that JIDU will unveil its Robocar concept robot car in the first half of 2022 at a ROBODAY event.
ROBODAY was originally scheduled for April 18 this year, but since the Beijing Auto Show was postponed the same week due to COVID-19, JIDU also put a pin in its media day.
Following a post on JIDU’s social media today, we now have a new date for ROBODAY as well as images of the Robocar concept being assembled in China.
JIDU Robocar moves to production preparation ahead of ROBODAY
JIDU shared the progress of its flagship electric vehicle in a Weibo post today, including video footage of the Robocar being cast. On the 450th day of its existence, the Robocar has moved from the stage of model design to that of preparation for mass production.
Additionally, JIDU announced June 8 as the new date for its ROBODAY presentation where the Robocar concept will first be unveiled to the public via live stream. Here is JIDU’s Weibo message (translated from Chinese):
JIDU’s first large-scale brand launch event, JIDU ROBODAY, is scheduled for June 8. Witness the debut of the JIDU robot concept car! The futuristic aesthetics of automotive robot design, subversive user experience, industry ceiling-level artificial intelligence technology and other technical highlights of the products will be presented one by one at the conference of hurry !
When the Robocar arrives, it will be based on Geely’s SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture) platform and will be equipped with Baidu’s self-driving technology. Baidu’s Apollo ecosystem has garnered more than a hundred partnerships with various OEMs, including Toyota, Ford, and Volkswagen. Additionally, the internet company has gotten into robotaxis.
After its concept debut in a few weeks, JIDU plans to unveil the production version of the Robocar at the Guangzhou Auto Show in November, followed by mass production and deliveries in 2023.
In the meantime, here is JIDU’s teaser video of the Robocar being assembled:
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