China’s top online search firm Baidu Inc said it aims to put self-driving buses on the road in three years and mass produce them within five years, after it set up a business unit to oversee all its efforts related to automobiles. Sounds very much like what Google is doing in America.
The Baidu auto unit will also include its initiative in partnership with BMW AG to develop an autonomous passenger vehicle (already in tests pictured here), which may also be put into mass production within five years.
Self-driving cars have emerged as a new battlefront for tech majors globally. Alibaba Group Holding, another Asian tech giant says it will launch its first car in a partnership with China’s SAIC Motor Corp, while U.S. tech heavyweight, Apple is also developing autonomous cars to compete head to head with Google.
The Baidu spokesman declined to give details on potential auto manufacturer partners for the bus project or investment amounts for the unit. Baidu Senior Vice President Wang Jing will lead the new unit as general manager.
