Huawei's ARCFOX Alpha S smart luxury electric sedan at the Shanghai Auto Show 2021 in Shanghai, China, April 19, 2021. /CFP
The 19th International Automobile Industry Exhibition (Auto Shanghai 2021) kicked off on Monday in China's metropolitan of Shanghai. The 10-day event is the world's first A-class auto show this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, attracting over 1,000 exhibitors, including well-known global and domestic automotive manufacturers, auto parts makers and tech giants.
Along with big international brands, such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, SAIC Motor and FAW, Chinese domestic tech giants, such as Huawei, Baidu and Alibaba, also displayed their cutting-edge technological applications, such as artificial intelligence (AI) 5G and big data.
Huawei debuts Alpha S
Huawei partnered with Chinese carmaker BAIC's new energy brand Jihu and jointly launched the first smart electric ARCFOX Alpha S series at the Shanghai Auto Show.
The software is run on Huawei's self-developed Harmony OS, creating the interaction between the smartphone and the car system.
The car model is the first of its kind to be equipped with a Huawei HI solution, including more than 30 intelligent components, such as Augmented Reality Heads-Up Display (ARHUD), which can display GPS information on the windshield.
The 20.3-inches 4K car screen goes from the driving position to the autopilot position, supports the multi-gesture operation, screen switching and more. As far as voice interaction is concerned, HI-supported models in the ARCFOX Alpha S series features voice recognition.
Baidu to pre-install Apollo on car models
An autonomous Apollo Robotaxi from Baidu in Beijing, China, December 7, 2020. /CFP
Baidu's senior corporate vice president Li Zhenyu said at the Shanghai auto fair on Monday that the company will pre-install Apollo, an autonomous driving system, on more car models launched in the market each month as the Chinese tech giant will hit mass production of its autonomous driving system in the second half of 2021.
Li, also the general manager of Baidu's intelligent driving group, said Apollo's road testing mileage for level 4 autonomous driving has exceeded 10 million kilometers, with the Apollo Valet Parking (ANP) solution, which offers an automated parking experience, its car drivers are now allowed to enjoy autonomous driving in real scenarios in big cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Baidu also aims to bring ANP to urban roads and highways in 20 cities this year and 100 cities by 2023, Li said.
Alibaba's Zhiji L7 provides customized services
The first model of SAIC's high-end automobile brand Zhiji L7 displayed at the SAIC Developer Conference in Shanghai, China, April 9, 2021. /CFP
Chinese tech giant Alibaba cooperated with SAIC motor and launched Zhiji L7, which can achieve high-speed communication, high computing power, safe and customized services. Users can customize different driving scenes according to their personal needs and preferences to experience a customized driving mode.
This car is a zero-emission sedan. Technologically, the production version of the Zhiji L7 will be equipped with 15 high definition cameras, five millimeter-wave radars and 12 ultrasonic radars.
The L7 will hit the Chinese market during the first half of 2022. Reservations will open a few days after the presentation at the Shanghai Auto Show.