China’s Baidu partners with Lyft to launch robotaxis in UK and Germany as soon as 2026


Chinese internet search giant Baidu is partnering with US ride-hailing firm Lyft to launch robotaxis in Europe, marking the latest initiative by a Chinese company to expand its autonomous-driving technologies globally.

Under the partnership, the companies plan to introduce autonomous vehicles in Germany and the UK as early as 2026, pending approval from local regulators, according to a joint announcement by Beijing-based Baidu and San Francisco-based Lyft on Monday.

The companies said they expected to roll out thousands of robotaxis across Europe in the coming years.

Baidu robotaxis. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Baidu robotaxis. Photo: Shutterstock Images

The deals are part of a broader trend among Chinese autonomous-driving companies to bring their services to international markets, especially as US electric-vehicle maker Tesla ramps up its robotaxi initiatives. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced plans to launch robotaxi services in Chicago, following trials in Austin, Texas.

  • Related Posts

    Chinese start-up DeepSeek teams with Tencent, HKU on AI tool to sharpen 3D design

    The team proposed Pointer-CAD, a framework built on Alibaba Group Holding’s Qwen 2.5 model, which helps designers select edges or faces of a 3D object, increasing the accuracy and efficiency…

    Continue reading
    As the world’s wealthy relocate, rewriting the property map, will Hong Kong win out?

    From Sydney to Hong Kong, wealth migration is reshaping the global super-luxury property market as activity picks up after two subdued years – though the dominance of relative newcomer Dubai…

    Continue reading

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *