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BMW, Baidu Drop Self-Driving Car Project
BMW AG and Chinese web service provider Baidu Inc. have abandoned the autonomous car development project over differences about how to proceed.
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BMW AG and Chinese web service provider Baidu Inc. have abandoned the autonomous car development project over differences about how to proceed.
The two companies had been testing technologies in China and the U.S. Baidu tells Reuters it is now using Ford Motor Co.’s Lincoln models for its system testing in the U.S.
The two companies jointly developed technology that enables a self-driving vehicle to automatically overtake another. They also have agreed to continue to partner on high-definition maps, a key enabler for autonomous vehicles, according to Reuters.
Neither company has detailed why the partnership failed. But Olaf Kastner, head of BMW operations in China, tells the news service there were differences in the development pace and focus. Baidu aims to put a few cars with highly autonomous capabilities on the road in 2018. Both companies have vowed to commercialize such systems in high volumes by 2021.
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