[Aika Auto Aika One-Corner SHOW Original]
The phrase "Baidu builds cars" may have to be changed.
On August 9th, Geely and Baidu jointly established Hangzhou Jiyue Automobile Technology Co., Ltd.. Moreover, on August 14th, Geely officially released its brand-new automobile robot brand — — Extreme Yue, the first model was officially named Extreme Yue 01. Geely said that the more Geely and Baidu’s "Automotive Robot Strategic Cooperation Project" took a substantial step towards mass production of high-end smart cars. However, isn’t the car brand that Baidu and Geely cooperate in the impression of everyone concentrated? How did this pole come out of nowhere? Are Jidu and Jiyue a brand? What is their relationship? Today, let’s sort out the seemingly complicated relationship between Geely, Baidu, Jidu and Jiyue.
From concentration to extreme crossing
As early as the beginning of the year in 2021, Baidu officially announced that it would enter the automotive field, and its partner was Geely Holding Group. In March of the same year, Baidu and Geely established Jidu Automobile Co., Ltd., accounting for 55% and 45% of the shares respectively. At this time, Baidu has a higher share concentration, and the dominant position is naturally in Baidu’s hands. It is not too much to say that Baidu will build a car at the end.
The development of Jiju is also smooth. Since 2022, the automobile project of Jiju has started to advance rapidly. In January, the concept car announced the details, and in June, the concept car Jiju ROBO-01 was officially released. In July of the same year, Li Yanhong appeared at Jidu Automobile Headquarters and shouted to the on-site staff, Jidu! It carries Baidu’s dream of building a car. The prototype was completed in October, and then in November, the new car has entered the dynamic testing stage.
It is not new for technology companies to participate in building cars. The cooperation between Huawei and Cyrus has made a good start for many technology companies, and the sales volume has begun to exceed 10,000. Later, it was reported that Chery will carry out smart car selection projects with Huawei. At this time, Baidu and Geely’s car-making projects have naturally attracted much attention. One is the domestic Internet leader, and the other is the king in the automotive field. The gimmicks of the cooperation between the two sides are very sufficient, which can be told as a novel and fun story.
However, Baidu’s road to building a car is not as smooth as it seems. In June, 2022, Shanghai Huapu Automobile Co., Ltd., an affiliated company of Geely System, wholly withdrew from Jidu Automobile. Since then, Jidu has been wholly owned by Baidu. In December of the same year, the company was renamed as Shanghai Mihang Automobile Co., Ltd. For the industrial and commercial changes, both Jidu and Geely Holding responded that this is a normal adjustment made by the company (Jidu) based on the needs of business development. However, most people think that this is mainly to pave the way for the qualification of building a car.
The change surfaced in August this year. On August 9, Hangzhou Jiyue Automobile Technology was established. According to the data, Zhejiang Geely Investment Holding Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Mihang Automobile Co., Ltd. hold 65% and 35% respectively. From the perspective of ownership structure, in the cooperation with Geely, Baidu has returned the leading power of building cars to Geely, taking a back seat.
Qualification! Qualification! Still qualified!
In April 2022, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the "Notice on Launching the Pilot Work of Entrusting Production of New Energy Vehicles", which put forward clear requirements for the OEM mode, that is, both the entrusted enterprise and the entrusted enterprise must be qualified enterprises, that is, the so-called "double qualifications". This also leads to the cooperation between Baidu and Geely. If you want to continue, you must let Baidu get the production qualification alone, but you can’t directly entrust Geely to produce it.
In April 2023, as the first large-scale auto show after the epidemic was released, almost all auto companies came to participate in the Shanghai Auto Show, but at this time, it was reported that they could not participate without the qualification to build a car, but the official denied this statement.
Until August 9, 2023, Geely and Baidu jointly established Hangzhou Jiyue Automobile Technology Co., Ltd.. On August 14th, Geely Holding Group officially released its brand-new automobile robot brand "Jiyue", and the first model was officially named "Jiyue 01". According to the latest website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, this model is being publicized in the latest release of the 374th batch of new automobile products, which means that this model has been qualified for marketing.
However, some changes have taken place in the relationship between Baidu and Geely. According to Tianyancha data, in the information of "Jiyue" shareholding, the affiliated companies of Geely and Baidu hold 65% and 35% respectively, which can be regarded as subsidiaries of Geely.
Therefore, the development process of cooperation projects between Baidu and Geely can be roughly unfolded. First of all, Baidu and Geely jointly established Jidu Automobile. Baidu is the major shareholder, responsible for product definition and technology research and development, Geely is responsible for production, and Baidu is the overall leader. Communication and channels are also promoted by this logic. However, during the project, it was found that the production qualification could not be solved, so Geely withdrew from Jidu Automobile. Subsequently, Geely and Baidu set up Jiyue. Geely is the major shareholder, responsible for production, sales and marketing, while Jidu became a pure technical solution provider.