Chinese company expands to Europe for driverless taxis | Türkiye is among its targets!

China -based internet and technology giant Baidu is accelerating its strategy to expand into global markets in the face of intense competition at home. According to the US-based Wall Street Journal, the company is preparing to test its driverless car-hailing service Apollo Go for the first time in Europe, while it is reportedly planning a similar initiative in Turkey. According to sources familiar with the matter, Baidu is in talks with Switzerland’s public transportation provider PostAuto. The company is expected to establish a local organization in Switzerland in the coming months and begin testing driverless vehicle technology by the end of the year.

The same sources said Baidu also plans to enter the Turkish market. Thus, the Chinese company can launch autonomous driving technology in Türkiye after the Middle East, Japan, Singapore and Europe.

Chinese and American firms are working to commercialize driverless vehicle technologies through robotaxis and advanced driver assistance systems.

"THERE ARE DIFFICULTIES IN TERMS OF SECURITY"

Tesla CEO Elon Musk also announced in June that they aim to launch a robotaxi service in Texas.

However, experts point out that robotaxi services, especially in Europe, may face various challenges in terms of safety and regulatory processes.

“It may take time for safety tests to convince regulators,” Morningstar analyst Kai Wang said.

Baidu’s rivals are also making aggressive moves in the global market. China’s WeRide has started pilot projects in Switzerland and France, while Uber plans to expand robotaxi operations in the Middle East and Europe with Chinese startups Momenta and Pony AI.

Another plan Baidu announced in March aims to deploy 100 driverless vehicles in Dubai city centre this year, with the aim of increasing that number to 1,000 by 2028. The company also plans to transport passengers with its driverless vehicles, building on the Hong Kong tests it launched in December.