DiDi Autonomous Driving

Autonomous Vehicles · Mobility · Robotaxi

Launch

DiDi begins fully driverless R2 robotaxi trials in Beijing, Guangzhou

The purpose-built vehicle pairs a new GAC Aion platform with DiDi's existing ride-hailing app and dispatch network.

• DiDi Autonomous Driving began fully driverless passenger-service trials of its next-generation R2 Robotaxi, bookable via the DiDi App in selected demonstration areas of Beijing and Guangzhou.
• DiDi Autonomous Driving is the independent self-driving unit of Chinese ride-hailing giant DiDi, led by co-founder and CEO Bob Bo Zhang since it spun out in 2019.
• R2 was jointly developed with GAC Aion, the EV arm of Guangzhou Automobile Group, and runs DiDi's Level 4 full-stack software with 33 sensors and a triple-domain fusion computing platform exceeding 2,000 TOPS.
• The vehicle meets five-star C-NCAP and Euro NCAP safety standards and uses multi-layer redundancy across braking, steering, communication and power systems.
• DiDi ran round-the-clock fully driverless testing in Guangzhou and Beijing since Q4 2025, and R2 itself has been in public-road testing across Guangzhou, Beijing and Shenzhen since its January 2026 delivery.
• DiDi has flagged the UAE as its first planned international market for Robotaxi testing and pilot programs during 2026.
• A purpose-built Level 4 vehicle entering driverless trials across two megacities shifts the robotaxi conversation from technical readiness to whether operations can scale profitably, since DiDi has not disclosed fleet size or intervention rates.