Jingchi Moves Headquarters to China Despite Ongoing Baidu Lawsuit
Tang Shihua
DATE:  Dec 29 2017
/ SOURCE:  Yicai
Jingchi Moves Headquarters to China Despite Ongoing Baidu Lawsuit Jingchi Moves Headquarters to China Despite Ongoing Baidu Lawsuit

(Yicai Global) Dec. 29 -- Autonomous vehicle maker Jingchi Inc. is moving its global headquarters to Guangzhou Development District despite Chinese search giant Baidu Inc. hitting it with a copyright infringement lawsuit just last week.

Jingchi plans to set up China's first industrialized driverless car firm from its new base in the city's Huangpu district after shipping several core departments out of its Silicon Valley office, though some will remain. It hopes to produce as many as 1,000 vehicles next year after beginning production in the first quarter, online media outlet 36Kr reported.

The firm is also preparing to establish a CNY10-billion (USD1.5-billion) industrial fund with Guangzhou Development District Financial Holding Group and other investors to cover upstream and downstream sectors.

Company founder Wang Jing is the former general manager of Baidu's driverless vehicle department. He left the company in March after founding Jingchi, and the Chinese search and technology giant filed a CNY50-million lawsuit against him on Dec. 22 for infringing on trade secrets. Wang denied all allegations.

Founded in April, Jingchi already has several core technologies for autonomous driving, including systems for vehicle control, environmental perception, behavior prediction, decision making, navigation and safety. It received USD52 million in angel funding on Sept. 26.

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Keywords:   Autonomous Vehicles,R&D,Guangzhou,Silicon Valley,AUTOMOTIVE