Tesla's self-driving competition is heating up in China with the launch of its first electric car, Geely 01, a joint venture between automaker Geely and technology research firm Baidu.
The joint venture, called Jiyue, launched an SUV based on Baidu's Apollo platform, which has been in development for a decade and has been used in self-driving cars since 2016.
Jiyue 01 uses high-resolution maps to make driving easier, but takes a purely visual approach and uses cameras primarily to assess the environment. Tesla cars have this system, eliminating the need for expensive lidar and ultrasonic radar.
“Tesla is the leader in smart cars and the leader in global sales, although I think we can surpass it in terms of controls and user interface,” said Luo Gang, COO of the Jiyue joint venture.
He added: “Personally, I think our car is better than the Tesla closest to us, the Model Y, in terms of space, design and interior.”
China is the world's largest market for electric cars. Dozens of brands are trying to differentiate themselves through new technologies.
The Tesla Model Y is one of the best-selling electric cars, although full self-driving is not yet available in this country.
Other competitors include Huawei and Xpeng Motors, which have also developed advanced autonomous driving systems that allow vehicles to steer and park themselves.
Chinese law has not yet clarified whether the driver or the driver assistance system is legally responsible in the event of an accident.
Most manufacturers are acting cautiously and sticking to Level 2 autonomous driving technology: where a human can take control of the car at any time, even while still behind the wheel, and thus steer, accelerate or brake.
Safety remains an issue in autonomous driving. Tesla is facing lawsuits over its Autopilot feature, and General Motors' self-driving taxi company, Cruise, has suspended operations after its license in California was revoked following an accident involving a pedestrian.
The Jiyue 01 has a range of 720 kilometers, and its price starts at US$35,520, which is similar to the price of the Huawei Auto Aito M5, which starts at US$35,500.