Baidu Inc, the Chinese web service company has announced to drive China automobile industry at the forefront of the upcoming ‘driverless car era.’
According to Bloomberg, Wang Jing the senior vice president in charge of Baidu autonomous driving efforts is of the view that, China enjoys a good chance for dominating the field.
He said, “Chinese carmakers started making cars 100 years after others and a lot of the core technology aren’t in Chinese hands, such as engines”. “With electric cars, with intelligent cars, the core technology shifts from the engine and gearbox to artificial intelligence and that’s an area where China is very close to the U.S., giving China the chance to catch up and seize leadership,” said Wang.
The pool of driverless market is already crowded with heavy names. Google Inc., initiated developing autonomous cars back in 2009, and is considering making its self-driving car unit a stand-alone business under the Alphabet Inc. corporate umbrella later this year.
Tesla Motors, chief executive Elon Musk, stated early this year that his customers will be able to summon an electric car to drive autonomously from Los Angeles to New York within two years. Whereas, the General Motors and Ford are already pursuing this emerging technology.
According to EJ Insight, “Chinese Internet companies like Baidu, flush with cash and confidence, are jostling for leadership in the holy trinity of the auto industry’s future: electrics, car sharing and – autonomous cars,” said Michael Dunne, president of Dunne Automotive Ltd. in Hong Kong.
Baidu estimates that the Chinese market for car sales, buses, taxis and related transportation services is worth more than $1.5 trillion a year in revenue. Getting a share in this lucrative market could provide a profitable source of revenue to the country’s largest web search.
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