The latest Chinese craze: test driving a new Mercedes-Benz, Audi or Lincoln via Didi Kuaidi, the nation’s top car-hailing app
No. of test rides hits a whopping 1.4 million in 90 days, allowing company to hail new service as resounding success amid quickly swelling portfolio
Since China’s top car-hailing app operator Didi Kuaidi launched Didi Test Drive in October allowing customers to take one of 92 models for a spin in six Chinese cities, the cumulative number of test drives has hit 1.4 million, the company said on Wednesday.
As the company is engaged in a de facto battle with San Francisco-based rival Uber for the hearts and minds of the Chinese populace, the new service is as much about selling cars as attracting and retaining customers.
Didi controls about 70 per cent of the domestic ride-hailing market but Uber announced plans late last year to expand into a further 100 Chinese cities within 12 months.
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Under the new test-driving programme, customers can choose from 19 brands including Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Lincoln and Audi and models priced from 100,000 yuan (US$15,260) to 1 million yuan. The service is available at present in only a handful of top-tier and wealthy cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu in Sichuan province and leafy Hangzhou in eastern Zhejiang.