This summer, the Daimler Group was the first international car manufacturer to receive approval to test fully automated test vehicles (Level 4) on public roads in Beijing. Daimler has thus reached a truly important milestone for local research and development efforts in China. China is now considered the most important test area for fully automated driving alongside parts of California.

Daimler relies on the Mercedes-Benz V-Class in China

The test vehicles in China are based on the versatile Mercedes-Benz V-Class with its advantages in terms of flexibility and loading capacity. These V-Class vehicles are equipped with additional technical applications from Baidu Apollo. These vehicles were extensively tested in the’National Pilot Zone for Intelligent Cars Mobilitätʼ (Beijing and Hebei) in order to obtain approval.

Both companies Daimler and Baidu will expand the use cases both on approved public roads and on special test tracks in accordance with the newly signed letter of intent. This increases the complexity of the environment during the test drives while at the same time prioritizing safety. The two companies also agreed to start a new joint project in the field of vehicle connectivity. Baidu’s connectivity services will be integrated more deeply into the intelligent multimedia system, the so-called Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX).

Member of Baidu Apollo platform

Daimler is expanding its local partnerships worldwide due to the ever faster pace of digitization. In China, Daimler is relying on joint research and development with the Chinese technology giants, particularly in the field of autonomous driving tests.

Of course, a certain view of the local markets always plays a great role. The company has actively expanded its cooperation with Baidu to offer its domestic customers other Mercedes-Benz brand products and services under the motto “Inspiration from China, Innovation for China”. This began with the partnership with Baidu in 2013, the first premium car manufacturer to integrate Baidu’s panoramic function into its vehicles. In 2016, the company introduced the Baidu CarLife vehicle smartphone integration solution for Mercedes-Benz models sold in China. After joining the Baidu Apollo platform in July 2017, Daimler became one of the ten founding members of the Apollo Committee.

The importance of the Chinese market and at the same time the transformation of Daimler’s results in China are the driving forces behind this cooperation. No doubt, the most important innovations in autonomous driving now also come from China.

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