Jiyue announced today the Jiuye 02 coupe-sedan will launch in 2024 and released official pictures of the production version. The EV has a codename Venus, and its primary selling point is lots of ADAS and self-driving tech from Baidu.
Jiyue Auto is a new automaker established in March 2021. It was originally called Jidu and jointly owned by Chinese internet search giant Baidu and automaker Geely. Baidu was in charge and held the majority, 55% of the company. It changed on August 9, when the company was restructured and renamed Jiyue. Geely took over, making Baidu a minority shareholder. Geely now holds 65% and takes care of manufacturing, and Baidu holds 35% and takes care of software, ADAS, and connectivity.
Their first car, the Jiyue 01 mid-size SUV, was launched in October at the Roboday 2023 event as a Tesla Model Y competitor. It features lots of AI tech, autonomous driving features from Baidu, and voice-activated parking.
The 02 is Jiyue’s second car, based on a Jidu Robo-02 concept revealed at the 2022 Guangzhou Auto Show. It stands on Geely’s SEA platform and features intelligent driving system from Baidu which relies solely on cameras, the EV has no lidar. 02 is supposed to target potential Tesla Model 3 buyers.
The pictures tell the car will have a sleek design, hidden door handles, and frameless mirrors. Inside the car, you find a futuristic interior dominated by an excessively long LCD screen and yoke steering.
Jiyue 02 will most likely have the same powertrain as Jiyue 01, so expect the RWD version with 200 kW and 71.4 kWh LFP battery and the AWD version with 400 kW and 100 kWh NMC battery.
Baidu’s ADAS will get inputs from Jiyue 02’s many sensors, including four 3-megapixel cameras, 12 ultrasonic radars, and five millimeter-wave radars. Two Nvidia Orin-X chips power them.
The Jiyue 02 will hit the market in mid-2024. The car will be assembled in Zeekr’s factory in Ningbo.
