Ford and Baidu partner to build sustainable ecosystem in China

Ford Motor China and Baidu have agreed to explore strategic collaborations to enrich the consumer experience and build a sustainable mobility ecosystem in China. The two will jointly cooperate across various domains including connectivity and digital services, artificial intelligence and digital marketing.

“Collaborating with leading technology companies such as Baidu supports our vision to become the world’s most trusted mobility company by leveraging new opportunities to build a sustainable mobility ecosystem. As part of our ‘In China, For China’ strategy, we look forward to working closely to offer smart products and solutions that can make people’s lives easier and more enjoyable,” said Peter Fleet, Ford group vice president and president of Ford Asia Pacific.

The efforts will focus on in-vehicle infotainment systems and digital services based on Baidu’s DuerOS conversational AI platform, with features such as voice recognition, natural language understanding and image recognition in order to deliver a simple and personalized user experience for Ford vehicle owners in China.

Leveraging AI technology and a vast ecosystem of information and services, the DuerOS system enables vehicle owners to command and communicate with their vehicles using natural language and easily access information and services that they need in daily life.

Ford and Baidu are looking to establish a joint connectivity lab to investigate innovation opportunities across their automotive and mobility businesses in China.

The two companies will also explore opportunities in cloud computing, such as integration with the Transportation Mobility Cloud (TMC), the open cloud-based platform being developed by Autonomic, a subsidiary of Ford Smart Mobility, that provides transportation services such as vehicle connectivity for multiple players in the transportation ecosystem.

In addition, Ford and Baidu will leverage both parties’ areas of expertise to investigate technologies and big data to explore business opportunities related to targeted digital marketing.