Daimler and Baidu sign MoU on autonomous driving cooperation

German car maker Daimler and China’s Baidu have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance their strategic connected vehicle and autonomous driving cooperation.

Both companies will partner on joint automated driving and connectivity projects and further collaborate through Baidu’s Apollo open platform.

The companies will also work to explore new vehicle connectivity services.

Daimler board of management chairman Dr Dieter Zetsche said: “With the changes facing the industry today, we have worked consistently to implement our CASE strategy for innovation both globally and at a local level in China.

“In particular, automated driving and connectivity are progressing at an unprecedented rate in China, and our continued success depends not only on staying ahead of these trends but on leading them.

“Daimler and Baidu already enjoy a strong partnership in these two fields, and the signing of this memorandum marks a new milestone in the cooperation between our two companies.”

In July, Daimler received the road test license for level 4 highly automated driving research vehicles in Beijing.

Test vehicles will be based on the Mercedes-Benz V-Class due to its advantages in flexibility and loading capacities.

Research vehicles are equipped with additional technical applications from Baidu Apollo. They have undertaken extensive testing at the National Pilot Zone (Beijing and Hebei) for Intelligent Mobility to qualify for the license.

Under the MoU, Daimler and Baidu will extend use cases and improve scenario complexity on approved public roads, as well as dedicated proving grounds.

As part of the autonomous driving cooperation agreement, the companies will also launch a new joint project for vehicle connectivity. This includes incorporating Baidu connectivity services into the Mercedes-Benz User Experience intelligent infotainment system.