Chinese search giant Baidu and partners will co-develop autonomous mini buses for tourist spots, airports, and other areas in Japan

Briefing

July 9, 2018

Briefing	Autonomous Buses – Chinese search giant Baidu, Softbank subsidiary SB Drive, and vehicle manufacturer King Long, partnered to co-develop and bring autonomous mini buses in Japan Imported from China – SB Drive in Japan will import 10 Apolong mini buses, jointly developed by Baidu and King Long, from China in 2019 Technology – Apolong mini buses equipped with Baidu’s Apollo autonomous driving system, capable of Level 4 autonomy, which can handle driving in most conditions Deployment – Mini buses will be deployed initially in tourist spots, airports, and other geo-fenced areas
Accelerator	Transportation and Mobility
Market Disruption	Innovation Partnerships
Business Model and Practices Business Model and Practices	Innovative Partnerships
Sector	Transportation and Logistics
Organization	Baidu, Softbank Corp., Xiamen King Long United Automotive Industry Co. Ltd.
Source	"Baidu joins forces with Softbank’s SB Drive, King Long to bring Apollo-powered autonomous buses to Japan," GlobeNewswire, https://globenewswire.com/; Korosec, K., "Baidu and SoftBank’s SB Drive are bringing an autonomous bus service to Japan", TechCrunch, https://techcrunch.com/; AcceleratingBiz analysis
Original Publication Date	July 4, 2018

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