Baidu-Geely’s new Jiyue 07 sedan claims L4 autonomous driving

The new Chinese EV brand Jiyue, created by internet services giant Baidu in a joint venture with Geely, has officially launched its second model, the 07 sedan. Its starting price is 209,900 yuan or roughly 26,700 euros. The first ‘owner’ to receive the keys at the launch was Robin Zeng, chairman and CEO of battery giant CATL, supplier of the car’s battery.

It’s the first mass-produced EV featuring the Apollo 2.0 high-end intelligent driving system, which claims Level 4 autonomous capabilities. That means that the vehicle operates completely autonomously under certain conditions, and a human no longer has to be ready to intervene. He can work, watch movies, and even sleep.

Smart electric cars

In 2021, China’s ‘Google’ search engine giant, Baidu, joined forces with carmaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group to develop and manufacture ‘smart’ electric cars. Baidu brings its expertise in-car connectivity and autonomous driving, including Apollo and Baidu Maps. Geely offers its manufacturing knowledge and electric platforms.

The Jiyue 07 is a sleek near-five-meter sedan (4,953/1,989/1475 mm l/w/h) with a generous wheelbase of 3,013 mm. The most eye-catching feature on the exterior is a continuous light bar around the bottom of the hood and the missing door handles.

No door handles

Doors can be opened with buttons on the B and C pillars, adding to the car’s sleekness and aerodynamic Cd of 0.198. An electric rear spoiler automatically raises once the vehicle is above 95 km/h to create more downforce.

Inside, there is more to knit one’s brows: a plane-like steering wheel and a gigantic 35.6-inch touchscreen in the center that can be virtually divided into three segments. The rear passengers get their own 7-inch screen to control air conditioning, navigation, and media. As standard, there are three independent climate zones, including the rear passengers.

Apollo self-driving system

The car gets two Nvidia Orin X smart driving chips with a total computing power of 508 TOPS, and the so-called ‘smart cockpit’ is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8295P chip.

Those deliver the computing power needed for Baidu’s Apollo 2.0, a perception-only-based system using sensors, cameras, and radar. Starting at the end of 2024, it will be available as an optional monthly subscription or a premium of 29,900 yuan (€3,800).

It would allow SAE Level 4 autonomous driving in well-determined circumstances and geo-fenced areas without the driver having to pay attention to the road. Baidu has extensive experience with autonomous driving, operating China’s largest robotaxi fleet, Apollo Go using Jiyue cars. By April this year, it had already carried over 6 million passengers.

Three flavors

The Jiyue 07 sedan comes in three ‘flavors’. Two less expensive variants with a single-motor rear-wheel drive delivering 200 kW of peak power and 343 Nm of torque and a high-end AWD model with 230 kW from the front motor and 300 kW from the rear engine. This one accelerates from 0 to 100 km/ in 3.5 seconds.

The base model uses a 71.44 kWh LFP battery pack from CATL, while the long-range version gets a 100 kWh NCM pack. These battery packs allow 660, 880, and 770 km (CLTC) ranges. For the two higher versions, you’ll have to count on a price of 229,900 yuan (€29,290) and 299,900 yuan (€38,200).

The top version uses an 800-volt platform and can be charged from 10 percent to 80 percent in as little as 10 minutes. Just a few days ago, Jiyue’s CEO, Joe Xia, confirmed the brand would become a new member of the Nio-led battery swap alliance after the two had already partnered on charging network sharing.