Dongfeng Motor Corporation announced a significant investment of over 60 billion yuan ($98.46 billion) in Beidou navigation technology on Sept 12 at the 13th China GNSS & LBS Annual Conference in the Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone.
The investment aims to establish a hub for original automotive technology, focusing on Beidou's high-precision positioning and navigation as a core technology. Dongfeng plans to launch 30 new energy passenger vehicle models and 14 new energy commercial vehicle models.
Beidou positioning and navigation applications are critical core technologies for developing intelligent vehicles. They also play a vital role in ensuring information security and enhancing the automotive industry's ability to compete internationally.
Yang Yanding, head of the Research and Development Institute at Dongfeng Motor Corporation, stated that Dongfeng Motor has led the formation of industry-academia-research collaborations with core units such as China Information Communication Technologies Group Corporation, the National Innovation Center of Intelligent and Connected Vehicles, and several universities. These collaborations will accelerate the large-scale application of Beidou technology in Dongfeng vehicles.
"Dongfeng's passenger and commercial vehicles fully meet the Beidou signal recognition requirements. The next stage will focus on the primary use of Beidou and Beidou research and development, gradually achieving positioning and navigation needs that meet intelligent requirements," Yang added.
