BEIJING – Despite the ongoing Iran war, at least three Chinese robotaxi companies are moving forward with expansion plans in the Middle East.
ride-hailing company didi The company plans to begin its first overseas robotaxi trial in the United Arab Emirates later this year, according to a statement on Wednesday.
Didi Chuxing co-founder and head of autonomous driving business Zhang Bo revealed the plan at the UAE-China Business Cooperation Forum in Beijing earlier this week, according to a statement. Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday as part of a three-day state visit.
Didi’s UAE pilot program follows a broader push by Chinese self-driving companies in the region.
Based in Guangzhou we ride announced earlier this month that it had launched a fully driverless robot taxi service in Dubai’s Jumeirah and Umm Suqeim areas. Passengers can book robotaxis Uber‘s app.
Pony.ai is also promoting commercial operations in the emirate. Late March, pony eye Chief Executive Officer James Penn said in response to questions from CNBC that the war had not affected commercial license applications in Dubai and that he viewed the dispute as short-term.
In September, a Chinese robotaxi company announced that it had received permission from the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority to test autonomous driving locally.
Baidu‘s robotaxi division, Apollo Go, also announced on April 1 that residents and tourists in Dubai can start hailing fully driverless rides through its app. It was not immediately clear whether there were any restrictions on activity.
The Dubai Media Office said in a social media post that the rollout will start with 50 vehicles, with plans to deploy more than 1,000 robotaxis over the next few years.
The Chinese robotaxi company has stepped up its global expansion plans over the past two years, with the Middle East emerging as an early launch market, followed by testing in Europe. Meanwhile, Alphabet-backed Waymo has expanded its fleet to more parts of the U.S. and started testing in London and Japan.
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