CAR Inc., one of China’s largest car rental companies, has partnered with Baidu’s autonomous driving platform Apollo to launch the world’s first publicly available autonomous vehicle rental service. The new offering enables customers to book fully driverless vehicles for short-term rentals without human assistance.
The service operates using Baidu Apollo’s Level 4 autonomous driving system, allowing vehicles to function independently within defined urban zones. Users aged 18 and older can book vehicles by selecting a pickup time and location, after which the nearest autonomous car is dispatched. Upon arrival, customers unlock the vehicle by verifying their identity, and at the end of the rental, the vehicle autonomously drives to the chosen drop-off point.
CAR Inc. is initially deploying a fleet of Apollo Go vehicles, which can accommodate up to three passengers. These vehicles are integrated into the company’s existing rental platform, with rental durations ranging from four hours to seven days. Pricing remains consistent with the firm’s conventional short-term rental offerings.
Apollo Go, Baidu’s autonomous ride-hailing service, has accumulated more than 11 million rides globally as of June 2025. The service saw a 75% increase in orders year-over-year during the first quarter. Baidu’s sixth-generation autonomous vehicle has also been optimized for cost-efficiency, with production costs significantly lower than comparable models from Tesla and Waymo.
