Baidu’s smart driving arm, Apollo, has unveiled its latest generation of robotaxis, marking a significant cost reduction and aiming to drive profitability for the business.
The sixth-generation robotaxi, launched at Apollo Day 2024 in Wuhan, Hubei province, is priced at 200,000 yuan ($27,670), representing a 60 percent reduction compared to its predecessor. These vehicles are set to join the robotaxi fleet on Apollo Go, Baidu’s self-driving ride-hailing platform, with plans to deploy 1,000 sixth-generation robotaxis in Wuhan by the end of 2024.
Baidu anticipates that the establishment of a fully autonomous robotaxi operation network will reduce operating costs by 30 percent. Additionally, through the optimization of self-driving technology efficiency, service costs are expected to decrease by 80 percent.
Baidu entered the self-driving technology arena in 2013 and was among the first Chinese companies to do so. Its fifth-generation robotaxi, launched in June 2021, saw the introduction of the Apollo Moon, a robotaxi for ride-hailing jointly developed with BAIC’s electric vehicle brand, Arcfox. The Apollo Moon, including the vehicle and driverless kit, cost RMB 480,000, significantly lower than the average cost of an L4 self-driving car at that time.
Chen Zhuo, general manager of Baidu’s autonomous driving business unit, highlighted the company’s progress, noting that Apollo Go’s revenue had grown ninefold by the beginning of this year, with losses cut by more than half. With the deployment of 1,000 sixth-generation robotaxis, Chen anticipates that Apollo Go will approach the break-even point in Wuhan by the end of 2024 and achieve overall profitability by 2025.
Baidu’s latest offering, the sixth-generation robotaxi, features the Apollo ADFM (Autonomous Driving Foundation Model), which the company touts as the world’s first large model supporting L4 autonomous driving. The use of Apollo ADFM reconfigures autonomous driving based on large model technology, significantly enhancing safety compared to human drivers.
Furthermore, Baidu’s vision-only city pilot assisted driving product, ANP 3, will be upgraded to ASD (Apollo Self-Driving) using Apollo ADFM, with the upgraded driver assistance software available across Jiyue’s range of models. Jiyue, an electric vehicle maker created by Baidu in partnership with Geely Holding Group, launched its first model, the Jiyue 01 SUV, in October last year, followed by the Jiyue 07 sedan unveiled at the 2024 Beijing auto show.
