Ford and Baidu to collaborate in mobility ecosystem and create in-vehicle experience for consumers

Ford Motor China Ltd and Baidu Inc signed a letter of intent today to collaborate in jointly exploring opportunities in connectivity, digital services, artificial intelligence and digital marketing.

The two companies will collaborate on new in-vehicle infotainment systems and digital services that encompass voice recognition, natural language understanding and image recognition to deliver a personalized user experience for Ford car owners in China.

In July last year, Ford joined Baidu's Apollo autonomous driving open platform as a founding member. 

"Together with Baidu's leading-edge AI technology and Ford's advanced engineering expertise, we will transform the mobility ecosystem and create the next-generation in-vehicle experience for consumers," said Zhang Yaqin, president of Baidu.

Peter Fleet, president of Ford Asia Pacific, said hat the company forward to working closely with Baidu to offer smart products and solutions to make people's lives easier and more enjoyable.

"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," Fleet added.

Ford and Baidu plan to jointly set up a connectivity lab to tap innovation opportunities in the automotive and mobility sectors in China. 

The two companies will also explore opportunities in cloud computing, big data, and digital marketing while being committed to developing new cloud-based AI solutions.