It's no secret as to why Baidu is signing a deal like this: it's making a big bet on self-driving technology, and it doesn't have much time to fulfill some of its promises. The company wants to start producing autonomous self-buses in 2018, and it expects mass production of Level 4 (that is, almost entirely self-driving) vehicles with BAIC Group in 2021. A transportation firm like Shouqi is effectively a shortcut: it already has the kind of real-world map data that would take Baidu months or years to collect. This collaboration won't make a difference outside of China, of course, but Baidu only needs to serve its populous home market to become a heavyweight in the robotic vehicle business.