Technology firm Continental has partnered with Chinese search-engine giant Baidu to work in the areas of automated driving, connected vehicles and intelligent mobility services.
The two companies have signed a strategic cooperation agreement, under which they will exchange technologies by using each other’s competitive advantages in automotive components and internet technology and thereby establish a technical alliance.
Their complementary resources and technical know-how are expected to help the two companies in developing new technologies, products and business models that can provide reliable solutions for automated driving, connected vehicles and intelligent mobility services.
As per the deal, Continental and Baidu will explore collaboration fields including as sensor systems, software for advanced driver assistance systems and automated driving, applications for Baidu’s Apollo platform including artificial intelligence, cyber security for connected cars as well as road test, data collection and analysis for automated driving.
Continental executive board chairman Elmar Degenhart said: “Continental develops and provides pioneering technologies and services for the mobility of tomorrow.
“Baidu is one of the most important Internet companies in China. With our strategic collaboration, we will take intelligent mobility an important step further.”
Baidu group president and chief operating officer Qi Lu said: “Artificial intelligence has great potential to drive social development, and one of AI’s biggest opportunities is intelligent vehicles.
“By joining hands with Continental, we are striving to upgrade intelligence in the automobile industry and develop a new ecosystem of intelligent mobility and automated driving, thus empowering existing industries and new ones.”
Recently, Continental also signed a collaboration agreement with Chinese electric vehicle startup NIO for the development of fully electric vehicles, intelligent transportation systems and automated driving.
The collaboration will extend in the development of NIO’s new electric car platforms in the future.
Image: Continental chassis & safety division president and executive board member Frank Jourdan and Qi Lu, Baidu group president and chief operating officer after signing the agreement. Photo: Courtesy of Continental AG.
