Baidu-backed Jiyue seeks traction in China’s premium EV market with second model launch

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Company banks on self-driving technology as it strives for a spot among the top makers after lacklustre sales of its first model.

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The Jiyue 07 is expected to take on Tesla’s Shanghai-made Model 3. Photo: Jiyue

Daniel Renin Shanghai

Published: 8:30pm, 29 Aug 2024

Jiyue, a premium electric vehicle (EV) maker backed by China’s search-engine giant Baidu, is doubling down on autonomous-driving technology as it launches its second model and fights to gain traction in the country’s cutthroat market for battery-powered cars.

The Jiyue 07, a fully electric sedan expected to take on Tesla’s Shanghai-made Model 3, will feature a high level of autonomy if customers pay an extra 29,900 yuan (US$4,214) for the company’s autonomous-driving software, known as Apollo 2.0, on top of the car’s price tag of 215,900 yuan. For a limited time, the company is offering the software for only 4,999 yuan. It did not say when the promotion would end.

Presales began on Wednesday evening. The company will unveil details of the sedan and its technologies at a launch ceremony on September 10.

“Jiyue is betting on its second production car to turn its sales around,” said Eric Han, a senior manager at Suolei, an advisory firm in Shanghai. “With advanced technologies and the support from tech behemoth Baidu, the company’s performance needs to improve given the lacklustre sales result of the Jiyue 01.”

Jiyue does not publish delivery data. It does not appear on the list of China’s top 10 EV makers by monthly sales published by the China Passenger Car Association.

The basic edition of Jiyue 07 has a driving range of 660km. Tesla’s Model 3, starting at 231,900 yuan, has a driving range of 606km.

The Apollo advanced driver assistance system has been developed by Baidu’s Project Apollo, one of the world’s largest and most diversified open-source self-driving alliances, established in 2017.