Beijing : Chinese search engine giant Baidu plans to develop a driverless car, according to domestic media reports, following in the footsteps of fellow technology firm Google.
Several Chinese technology firms, including e-commerce company Alibaba and WeChat messaging app provider Tencent, have announced plans for cars, shaking up the traditional industry in the world’s largest auto market. Baidu will work with a yet unknown auto manufacturer to introduce a driverless car by the end of this year, Wang Jin, a vice president of the company, was quoted by the Beijing-based Economic Observer as telling a conference on Sunday. Baidu has previously worked on “semi-autonomous” cars with German automaker BMW.
Google of the United States is also developing a driverless car and has said it plans to test it on public roads this year around its headquarters in California. Alibaba is planning an “Internet car” that would use technology to provide a better driving experience including e-commerce, digital entertainment, map and communications services.
