BAIDU PLANS DRIVERLESS TAXI LAUNCH IN EUROPE, TARGETING SWITZERLAND AND TURKEY

Chinese tech giant Baidu is gearing up to test its driverless ride-hailing service, Apollo Go, in Europe for the first time, with plans to establish a local entity in Switzerland and begin trials by the end of 2025, as reported last week by The Wall Street Journal.

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The move, which also includes launching in Turkey, marks Baidu’s bold push into global markets amid fierce competition in China’s autonomous vehicle sector. For European commuters, regulators, and the global tech industry, this expansion signals a new chapter in the race for self-driving technology, challenging established players like Waymo and Uber in a $2 trillion mobility market.

Apollo Go, already operational in over a dozen Chinese cities with a fleet of more than 400 vehicles in Wuhan, aims to leverage its experience to navigate Europe’s regulatory landscape.

Baidu has held discussions with Switzerland’s PostAuto, a public bus operator, though Swiss Post clarified no formal partnership exists. The company’s strategy, fueled by its AI prowess and Baidu Maps integration, positions it to compete in a region where electric vehicle sales hit 15.2% of new cars in Q1 2025.

APOLLO GO’S EUROPEAN EXPANSION PLANS

Baidu intends to set up a Swiss entity in the coming months, aiming to start testing Apollo Go’s driverless taxis in Switzerland by December 2025. The company has been in talks with PostAuto, a division of Swiss Post, to explore launching the service, though Swiss Post stated no agreement is in place, emphasizing its own focus on future mobility needs. Baidu’s plans extend to Turkey, where it seeks to deploy its robotaxi technology, though details on timelines and partners remain sparse. The expansion builds on Apollo Go’s success in China, where it operates in cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Wuhan, delivering over 8 million rides by November 2024.

The move into Europe and Turkey reflects Baidu’s strategy to scale globally, following trials in Hong Kong and Dubai.