Baidu's "Apollo Go" plans to launch an autonomous taxi service in Hong Kong and start testing by the end of the year. This will be its first business launch outside the mainland market.

The service has submitted documents to the Islands District Council in Hong Kong and applied for an autonomous vehicle testing permit. The test vehicles have completed closed tests at the national exam center and specifically adopt a "right-hand drive" design to adapt to Hong Kong's traffic rules. During the test, safety personnel will monitor the vehicles to ensure safety.

Baidu's "Apollo Go" has achieved milestone progress in mainland China, with manned tests conducted in 11 cities and fully autonomous driving services tested in Beijing, Wuhan, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, and other cities. In the second quarter of 2024, Apollo Go handled approximately 899,000 orders, a year-on-year increase of 26%, with cumulative service orders exceeding 7 million. In June this year, Apollo Go launched a 100% fully autonomous ride-hailing service in Wuhan.

Apollo Go's active layout in Hong Kong and Macao, as well as overseas, is driven by both commercialization needs and the need to counteract competitive pressures. The global market for autonomous taxi services is still a blue ocean, but this does not mean this state will persist.

Autonomous taxi companies such as Pony.ai and WeRide have already expanded overseas. Although the current threat is limited, as these companies conduct tests and operations in markets such as the United States, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates, Apollo Go will be at a disadvantage if it does not accelerate its marketization efforts.

In addition, Tesla has also released its own autonomous vehicle, which has an advantage in vehicle costs. Before Tesla's autonomous taxis enter the mainland market, Apollo Go's active expansion overseas is beneficial for seizing market opportunities and gaining the initiative in future competition.

It is highly anticipated to see how Apollo Go performs in Hong Kong.