Baidu and BAIC Motor team up for Level 3 autonomous vehicles ZDNet

Chinese internet giant Baidu and state-owned passenger vehicle manufacturer BAIC Motor Corp have formed a strategic partnership that will see the companies produce and promote autonomous vehicle technology in China. Announced on Friday at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2017, Baidu's autonomous driving research and development arm, Baidu Intelligent Vehicle, will work with the automaker on two key projects, the first of which is the launch of a BAIC-built vehicle equipped with Baidu's telematics solutions at the Shanghai auto show in April. Level 3 autonomy still requires human drivers to be present and capable of taking the steering wheel if needed to prevent accidents, however continuous monitoring isn't required. As part of the partnership, the companies will also collaborate on HD maps for use in autonomous driving, and BAIC will provide OEM solutions including CarLife, CoDriver, and MapAuto for Baidu's intelligent vehicle program. CarLife, a smartphone integration application for connected cars, has been deployed in nearly 150 car models from 60 automakers including Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, and Shanghai GM, and counts more than 700,000 car owners as active users.