BEIJING / SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China’s Baidu Inc and automaker Geely hired Mobike co-founder and former chief technology officer Xia Yiping as chief executive of their new electric vehicle venture, the engine giant said Monday.
Baidu last month announced that it would set up a company with Zhejiang Geely Holding Group to accelerate its intelligent driving capabilities and Geely car manufacturing experience.
“Xia has extensive management experience in the field of luxury cars and mobility services,” Baidu said in a statement. “We welcome Xia Yiping to join Baidu automation and look forward to his contribution to Baidu and the automotive industry. ”
Reuters reported on Xia’s employment last week, citing people familiar with the case.
Xia served as Mobike’s chief technology officer until the company acquired Meituan’s food delivery giant in 2018. Prior to Mobike, he worked at Ford Motor and Fiat Chrysler.
Reporting by Yingzhi Yang, Yilei Sun and Brenda Goh, Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips