Accelerating Globalization of Autonomous Driving: Apollo Go’s Strategic Opportunities in the Global Market

March 14, 2025 at 22:11 PM EDT

China, March 15, 2025 -- With the rapid maturation of autonomous driving technology, the global autonomous ride-hailing market is seeing a promising future in its commercialization. As a key player in the global autonomous driving industry, Apollo Go has not only made significant technological advancements but has also demonstrated a clear strategic vision in the global market.

Global Autonomous Driving Landscape: Apollo Go and Waymo

According to ARK’s Big Ideas 2025, the US and China are blazing the robotaxi trail, while Waymo and Baidu are responsible for most of the autonomous rides in the US and China. And Cathie Wood, the founder of ARK, also expressed confidence and prospect on the rapid development of autonomous driving in "Big Ideas 2025" Recap.

In 2018, Baidu Apollo obtained one of China's first autonomous driving road test licenses and launched autonomous driving ride-hailing services in Beijing in 2020. Apollo Go has commenced 100% fully driverless operations across China since February 2025 and the accumulated orders have surpassed 9 millions.

In 2009, Google launched its self-driving car project, which became Waymo in 2016, officially kicking off its exploration of robotaxi commercialization. Currenly, Waymo is having commercial operations in four major U.S. cities. In 2024, Waymo secured an additional $5.6 billion in funding, proving the capital confidence in the autonomous driving sector.

Strategic Opportunities in the Right-Hand Drive Market: One-Third Share of the Global Market

According to the Hong Kong Transport Department, Apollo Go successfully obtained Hong Kong’s first batch of autonomous vehicle pilot licenses in 2024, marking its first attempt in right-hand drive, left-hand traffic regions. Meanwhile, Waymo wants to start testing autonomous electric cars in Tokyo at the beginning of 2025, as its first step towards international market.The right-hand drive markets, including the UK, Singapore, Japan, and Australia, represent a third of the global automotive market. There might be more competitions in the right-hand drive markets.

The Middle East’s Potential: UAE’s Expectations and AI Investment

Beyond the right-hand drive markets, the Middle East has become a key target for Apollo Go’s globalization strategy. At the 2025 Dubai World Government Summit (WGS), Baidu Co-Founder and CEO Robin Li emphasized the importance of continued investment in AI and highlighted the breakthroughs in autonomous driving technology. H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama, UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, expressed high expectations for Apollo Go’s technology and proposed the use of an Apollo Go-powered fully autonomous fleet at future World Government Summits.

Technological Breakthroughs and Cost Reduction: Key to Robotaxi Commercialization

Apollo Go is making continuous technological breakthroughs and rapid cost reductions, which is a key to bring this service to the global market. Currently, the cost of Apollo Go’s fifth-generation model is approximately $67,200, while the sixth-generation model has dropped to $30,000, marking a nearly 60% reduction in cost. This cost advantage provides a solid foundation for the large-scale commercialization of Robotaxis.

Moreover, Apollo Go has fully automated its operations network, from vehicle wake-up and automated entry and exit from the garage to self-charging and maintenance, without requiring manual intervention. This not only greatly improves operational efficiency but also significantly reduces operational costs.

Apollo Go’s RT6 model is already operating in several cities with positive user feedback. User experience videos demonstrate the RT6’s significant advantages in safety, comfort, and intelligence. With ongoing technological advancements and further cost reductions, Apollo Go is ready to explore the global market, offering more user-friendly, green, low-carbon, safe, and comfortable autonomous driving services.

About Apollo Go

Apollo Go, also known as Luobo Kuaipao, is Baidu’s autonomous ride-hailing service and a global leader in large-scale self-driving mobility. As China’s first fully driverless commercial Robotaxi service, Apollo Go integrates AI, big data, and automation to help build the smart cities of the future.

Contact Info:
Name: Ruqi Chen
Email: Send Email
Organization: Apollo Go
Website: https://en.robotgo.com/

Release ID: 89155320

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Accelerating Globalization of Autonomous Driving: Apollo Go’s Strategic Opportunities in the Global Market

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