(Yicai Global) Aug. 30 -- Jidu Auto’s first electric car has concluded wind tunnel testing, indicating that the design of the prototype has been determined just six months after the joint venture between Chinese search engine Baidu and automaker Geely was set up, online tech media 36Kr reported today, citing the JV’s chief executive.

“Jidu’s very first product has completed wind tunnel testing on a full-size clay model and achieved a great drag coefficient,” Xia Yiping said on his WeChat account where he also posted a picture. “I am very proud of the whole team and their efforts over the past 180 days,” Xia said.

The flagship EV is scheduled to debut at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition next April. Priced at over CNY200,000 (USD31,000), the auto will use Baidu’s Apollo autopilot technology and Geely’s open-source electric vehicle platform to achieve Level Four autonomous driving, the second highest level when the car is able to drive by itself and human intervention is only needed occasionally.

“Jidu plans to invest CNY50 billion (USD7.7 billion) in research and development over the next five years,” Xia, best known as the co-founder of the bike-sharing firm Mobike, said in April. Once the first series achieves mass delivery, the Shanghai-based company aims to unveil a new model every 12 to 18 months, he added.

Baidu set up Jidu on March 2 with a 55 percent stake. Hangzhou-based Geely owns the rest and will provide its manufacturing facilities.

Editor: Kim Taylor