The Jiyue 01 is larger and less expensive than the Tesla Model Y, while leveraging Baidu's capabilities on cockpit intelligence as well as smart driving to provide additional appeal.
Jiyue, the electric vehicle (EV) maker created by Baidu in partnership with Geely Holding Group, has officially begun sales of its first model, the Jiyue 01, a crossover that rivals the Tesla Model Y and is poised to intensify competition in China's EV sector.
Jiyue launched the Jiyue 01 at an event in Shanghai on October 27, with the company calling the five-seat SUV Robocar to emphasize the model's smart capabilities.
There are two versions of the Jiyue 01 available -- the Jiyue 01 Max, and the Jiyue 01 Max Performance -- with a starting price of RMB 249,900 ($34,150) and RMB 339,900, respectively.
The pricing is lower than that of the Model Y, one of the best-selling EVs currently available, and the Tesla SUV is offered in three versions in China with starting prices of RMB 263,900, RMB 299,900, and RMB 363,900, respectively.
The Jiyue 01 measures 4,853 mm in length, 1,990 mm in width and 1,611 mm in height, and has a wheelbase of 3,000 mm, while the Tesla Model Y measures 4,750 mm in length, 1,921 mm in width and 1,624 mm in height, and has a wheelbase of 2,890 mm for comparison.
The model is based on Geely's Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) and is built at Geely's plant in Ningbo, Zhejiang province in eastern China.
SEA is expected to give the Jiyue 01 an assured driving experience as well as safety performance, and EVs based on the architecture also include Zeekr's models, the Roadster Eletre, and the Volvo EX30.
The Jiyue 01 Max is powered by a single motor and offers a choice of 71.4 kWh and 100 kWh capacity battery packs with CLTC ranges of 550 km and 720 km respectively.
The Jiyue 01 Max Performance is powered by dual motors with a peak power of 400 kW and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds. The model is powered by a 100-kWh battery pack and has a CLTC range of 660 km.
While the model's hardware specs are on par with the current mainstream premium EV models, Jiyue is leveraging Baidu's AI and smart driving capabilities to differentiate it from its competitors.
The Jiyue 01's cockpit is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295 chip, which is about eight times more powerful than current mainstream chips, the company said. Currently, mainstream high-end EVs are powered by the Snapdragon 8155 chip, and Jiyue is one of the first local EV makers to use Qualcomm's next-generation cockpit chip.
The model comes with a 6K screen measuring 35.6 inches, offering three zones for displaying different content to meet the needs of the driver and front passenger.
Based on this cockpit hardware and Baidu's AI software capabilities, Jiyue 01 saw the debut of Simo, Baidu's intelligent vehicle AI partner, which is capable of natural voice communication with the user and manages almost all vehicle functions.
Simo's voice recognition speed is as fast as 500 ms, covering both in-car and out-of-car scenarios and continuous conversations. The feature is supported by Ernie Bot, Baidu's integrated AI system, enabling it to evolve and develop logical reasoning and strategic planning capabilities, according to Jiyue.
The Jiyue 01 also utilizes Baidu's capabilities when it comes to intelligent driving, with Jiyue claiming that the model is the world's first consumer-grade vehicle to feature Baidu's Apollo's full suite of L4 self-driving solutions.
The Jiyue 01's self-driving capabilities are supported by two Nvidia Drive Orin chips and a vision-centric intelligent driving architecture based on 11 HD cameras, 12 ultrasonic radars and five millimeter-wave radars.
So far, only two brands in the world have adopted a vision-only smart driving solution and Jiyue is one of them, the company said.
Jiyue didn't mention the other brand by name, but it's apparently Tesla, whose models have demonstrated strong self-driving capabilities in the US but only have basic Autopilot functionality available in China for now.
Jiyue calls its ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) feature Robo Drive Max, and users can subscribe for RMB 980 per month, or pay RMB 49,900 for a buyout at the time of vehicle purchase. The earliest purchasers will be able to enjoy a discounted price of RMB 19,900 for a limited time.
Robo Drive Max will initially offer PPA (point-to-point) navigation assistance and AVP automated valet parking on 90 percent of China's highways and in three cities -- Hangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai -- and expand to more than 200 cities by 2024.
Robo Drive Max PPA navigation assistance enables fully automated lane changing and overtaking, highway on and off ramp maneuvering, multi-lane obstacle avoidance, recognizing crosswalks and traffic lights, giving way to pedestrians, making unprotected left turns, avoiding non-motorized vehicles and other driving functions.
The official launch of the Jiyue 01 is a major milestone for Baidu's car-making efforts, especially given the challenges the new brand has faced over the past two years.
Jiyue was renamed from the brand formerly known as Jidu. Geely and Baidu established the joint venture Jidu in March 2021, which was then 55 percent owned by Baidu and 45 percent by Geely.
On June 8, 2022, the company held its first Robo Day event and unveiled its robot car concept, Robo-01. Over the past year, Jidu has announced little new progress regarding car building.
On August 15, Geely announced that it was launching a new brand, Jiyue, with Baidu. On the same day, the Jiyue 01 entered a filing catalog with China's industrial regulator, clearing a key hurdle for its official launch.
The operating entity of the new Jiyue brand is 65 percent owned by Geely, with the remaining 35 percent owned by an affiliate of Baidu.
Jiyue has opened more than 40 offline brand experience centers in more than 20 cities in China, and has more than 30 directly-managed aftermarket stores and more than 40 authorized aftermarket stores in more than 30 cities.
By the end of this year, Jiyue aims to cover more than 120 cities with its after-sales service network.
($1 = RMB 7.3174)
Baidu-Geely joint brand Jiyue says Jiyue 01 gets 9,856 orders in 6 hours after pre-sales begin
