Chinese bike-sharing and mobility company Hellobike is expected to begin small-batch deliveries of its Level 4 autonomous robotaxi vehicles in March next year, with mass production targeted for June, local media outlet Lanjinger reported on Thursday.
The robotaxi manufacturing partner is Dongfeng Nissan’s Venucia brand, with the first Level 4 production model based on the Venucia VX6 platform, the report said.
Hellobike formally entered the robotaxi sector in June, establishing a joint venture with fintech firm Ant Group and battery maker CATL to focus on Level 4 autonomous driving research and development. The Shanghai-based company said at the time that the venture received more than 3 billion yuan ($424 million) in initial funding from the three backers.
In September, Hellobike said it had secured additional strategic investment for its robotaxi business from Alibaba, further strengthening its capital base as competition in China’s autonomous driving sector intensifies.
The company has already unveiled its first mass-produced robotaxi model, branded HR1 (Hello Robot1), and has outlined plans to deploy more than 50,000 robotaxis by 2027. Commercial operations are already under way in Zhuzhou in Hunan province and Liyang in Jiangsu, with testing also taking place in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Changzhou and Changsha.
China’s robotaxi sector is currently led by players including Baidu Apollo, WeRide and Pony AI, while automakers such as Xpeng are also accelerating their own autonomous vehicle plans, targeting trial robotaxi operations by 2026. Ride-hailing platforms have increasingly moved into the segment, with Geely-backed Cao Cao Mobility and Didi’s autonomous driving unit both announcing new robotaxi expansion plans this month.