Baidu Secures Regulatory Nod for Autonomous Ride-Hailing in Shenzhen, Threatens Competition in Chinese EV Market

Baidu, Inc BIDU bagged a license from regulators to offer driverless ride-hailing services in Shenzhen.

Its fleet of robotaxis, under the brand Apollo Go, can operate across an area of 188 square kilometers in China's southern tech hub Shenzhen, making it the fourth city in which the company's driverless cars operate, Reuters cites the company statement.

On Thursday, Chinese electric vehicle maker XPeng Inc XPEV rolled out its assisted-driving technology in Beijing and three other cities.

After winning regulatory approval, it became the first company to launch an advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) in Beijing.

XPeng said its City NGP (Navigation Guided Pilot) system, which is similar to Tesla Inc's TSLA FSD (Full Self-Driving) feature, is also available in Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou.

Also Read: AI Battle Heats Up: Alibaba Targets Enterprise ChatGPT Trials After Baidu's Disappointment

Baidu also shared plans to put an additional 200 fully driverless robotaxis into service in 2023.

Price Action: BIDU shares traded higher by 0.36% at $149.24 premarket on the last check Friday.

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