Thursday, March 28

Ford and Baidu Partner To Build Smarter Cars in China

The American Multinational automaker, Ford has signed a contract with China’s biggest search engine company Baidu to introduce artificial intelligence and smart connectivity in cars in China.

Ford is one of the most trusted auto company in the world and has claimed that it would develop new in-vehicle infotainment systems and digital services which will be based on Baidu’s voice-interaction system, DuerOS. The Ford owners in China can make use of these features.

The feature will enable the people to communicate and command their vehicles using natural language and allow people to easily access information and services that they need in daily life.

“As part of our ‘In China, For China’ strategy, we look forward to working closely to offer smart products and solutions that can make people’s lives easier and more enjoyable,” said Peter Fleet, president of Ford Asia Pacific.

To look after the innovation opportunities across their automotive and mobility businesses in China, both the companies are also planning to set up a joint connectivity lab. This will also help them to explore cloud computing.

“Together…we will transform the mobility ecosystem and create the next-generation in-vehicle experience for consumers,” said Ya-Qin Zhang, president of Baidu.

The agreement has been built on an already existing partnership after Ford last year collaborated with Baidu’s open-source platform for self-driving software, known as Apollo. The alliance would be a big win for Ford, which is lagging behind rivals in the Chinese market regarding in-car technology and connectivity.