Faizan Farooque
Thu, May 15, 2025, 6:38 AM 1 min read
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Baidu (BIDU, Financials) is readying to bring its Apollo Go robotaxi service to Europe aboriginal this year, according to a idiosyncratic acquainted with the matter. The Chinese tech institution is eyeing Switzerland and Turkey arsenic its archetypal European markets, arsenic it steps up planetary ambitions for its driverless taxi business.
Apollo Go already operates afloat autonomous taxis successful respective Chinese cities, including Beijing suburbs and Wuhan, wherever much than 70% of rides were driverless arsenic of April. The institution expects that fig to deed 100% successful the coming quarters. Fares are often subsidized, making the work much accessible arsenic Baidu continues investigating and expansion.
In caller months, Baidu has announced plans to motorboat Apollo Go successful Dubai and Abu Dhabi and has begun investigating successful Hong Kong. The institution declined to remark connected its European determination erstwhile contacted by CNBC.
Chinese regulators typically o.k. afloat autonomous operations aft phased testing, including trials with and without information drivers. The regulatory process has allowed Baidu to steadily standard Apollo Go crossed large cities astatine home.
The planetary propulsion comes arsenic contention successful the robotaxi abstraction heats up. Pony.AI, a rival backed by Toyota, precocious announced a concern with Uber to bring its vehicles onto the U.S. platform, with plans to grow into the Middle East this year.
Baidu's quality to negociate section regulations, infrastructure challenges and contention volition beryllium cardinal arsenic it tries to found a foothold extracurricular China. Investors pursuing the company's autonomous conveyance strategy volition privation to ticker however the European motorboat unfolds.
This nonfiction archetypal appeared connected GuruFocus.