Volvo Cars and Baidu partner to develop and manufacture autonomous vehicles for China

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Volvo Cars and Baidu have agreed to jointly develop electric and fully autonomous drive-compatible cars, with a mind towards mass producing these vehicles for the largest car market in the world, China.

Through their partnership, Volvo Cars and Baidu will develop and sell these vehicles to potential Chinese customers, which underlines Volvo Cars’ desire to be the supplier of choice for mobility companies across the world.

According to the agreement, Volvo Cars and Baidu will pool resources to take the next step and prepare for mass manufacturing of fully electric and autonomous cars. Volvo Cars says that the collaboration with Baidu is the company's first of its kind in China, and notes that it was purposely chosen as a partner by Baidu because of its “long-standing safety credentials.”

Based on the collaboration agreement, the companies will bring their respective strengths to the table, as Baidu contributes its Apollo autonomous driving platform, while Volvo provides access to its expertise and advanced technologies of the car industry.

“With Baidu we take a big step forward in commercializing our autonomous compatible cars, built on Volvo’s industry-leading safety technology,” says Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo Cars.

“There is a strong development in autonomous drive in China, where Baidu is a leading player, and the market there offers huge opportunities for us as the supplier of choice for autonomous fleets.”

Dr. Ya-Qin Zhang, president of Baidu, adds, “we are very glad that Volvo Cars has established a strategic partnership with Baidu in the development of a fully autonomous car compatible with our autonomous driving platform Apollo. We look forward to working closely with Volvo to provide the world with the safest auto products for the benefit of humankind.”

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