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Self-driving cars and autonomous vehicles

Self-driving cars and autonomous vehicles
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Self-driving cars and autonomous vehicles. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
A Waymo robotaxi drives by the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco on Monday. Photo: AFP
United States

‘Unusual activity detected’: US woman gives birth in Waymo self-driving taxi

The mother and child arrived safely at a San Francisco hospital, and the vehicle was taken out of service for cleaning.

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China manufacturing

Germany’s China playbook: if you can’t beat them, partner up

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Robotics

Xiaomi hires engineer from Tesla’s Optimus team to lead robotic hand development

Electric & new energy vehicles

Volkswagen revs up designed-in-China approach to catch up in EV market

Carmaker says mainland operations can now design and validate new models without approvals from Germany, reducing development time and cost.

An aerial view of Volkswagen Group China Technology Company in Hefei, in eastern China’s Anhui province. Photo: Handout
Science

Chinese team cuts laser weapon, EV part production time from 1 hour to 1 second

High-intensity heating and cooling method speeds up creation of sought-after electrical component.

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Xiaomi

Xiaomi open-sources AI model spanning autonomous driving and robotics

EV and AI initiatives have become an increasingly important part of Xiaomi’s business.

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Made in China 2025

Chinese EV makers accelerate robotics drive for ‘game-changing’ edge over US

Xpeng, Cherry and others expand beyond cars, with humanoid robot Iron winning praise from Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Xpeng’s humanoid robot Iron relies primarily on visual data for training and decision-making. Photo: Shutterstock
Baidu

China’s Baidu posts 50% rise in AI revenue despite third-quarter slump

In spite of sluggish advertising, AI operations provide ‘a solid foundation for sustainable long-term growth’, Baidu CFO He Haijian says.

Sovereign wealth fund

Singapore’s Temasek invests in WeRide, Pony.ai to boost China tech holdings

Temasek’s latest deals reflect the 51-year-old investment giant’s focus on forward-looking technologies.

Artificial intelligence

Tesla, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz win China’s approval to deploy AI chatbots in cars

China has approved the first foreign carmakers to roll out in-vehicle AI assistants, opening the door for wider adoption.

Domestic brands have been rushing to register their own AI services to gain a competitive edge over foreign brands. Photo: Handout
Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s car industry preps for next-level self-driving: Hesai

Use of advanced hardware will pick up next year, with some carmakers already adopting it to ‘pre-empt rivals’, CFO says.

People pass the Hesai Group booth at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 9, 2025. Photo: NurPhoto via Getty Images
Huawei

Huawei’s Ascend-powered CloudMatrix platform tops biennial tech innovation list

The system can support up to tens of thousands of interconnected chips to train and run AI models.

Artificial intelligence

CaoCao tailgates WeRide into the UAE as flag comes down on China’s driverless race

WeRide wins UAE go-ahead for driverless taxis as CaoCao joins the race in the Middle East.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Volkswagen bets on EV developed with Xpeng to regain ground in China

The ID Unyx 08 has received government approval to begin production and is expected to enter the market in 2026.

Volkswagen’s fully-electric SUV, the ID Unyx 08, co-developed with Xpeng. Photo: Xpeng
Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla and global carmakers race against Chinese EV rivals at expo

At CIIE, global brands like Tesla and Volkswagen are under pressure to win back market share from local competitors.

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A Tesla Cybercab displayed at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai. Photo: EPA
IPO

China’s WeRide drives for ‘ubiquitous’ robotaxis after Hong Kong listing

Founder and CEO Tony Han says listing proceeds will help company expand globally as analysts predict robotaxi growth.

IPO

4 Chinese firms’ listing debuts mark busy day for Hong Kong stock exchange

Pony.ai, WeRide and Ningbo Joyson fell at the opening bell, while Vigonvita Life surged.

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Automotive industry

Video | Pony.ai set to further open China’s autonomous-driving frontier

Chinese autonomous driving company Pony.ai is poised to be dual-listed in Hong Kong on November 6, 2025.

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IPO

Nothing in Pony.ai’s way as firm lists in Hong Kong: CEO James Peng

Hong Kong listing broadens investor base as the autonomous-driving company expands robotaxi services in mainland and abroad, founder says.

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Semiconductors

Volkswagen to make own chips in China for locally made autonomous vehicles

‘We are moving beyond localised production to mastering the core technologies that shape tomorrow’s mobility,’ VW China CEO says.

Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s Xpeng touts driverless cars with Alibaba’s Amap to take on Tesla

Company promises three robotaxi models, a humanoid robot and flying cars leveraging a new vision-based AI model.

He Xiaopeng, Xpeng’s chairman and CEO, introduces the company’s robotaxis at the company’s headquarters in Guangzhou, in southern China’s Guangdong province, on November 5, 2025. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong transport

Hong Kong gives green light to test driverless cars on mega bridge, in Kai Tak

Baidu Apollo International and Airport Authority cleared to pilot autonomous vehicles on designated routes from November 7, authorities say.

Baidu Apollo International, which already obtained two licences to operate driverless vehicles, was approved to trial 10 vehicles in East Kowloon. Photo: Handout
IPO

China’s Pony.ai, WeRide file for Hong Kong IPOs in milestone for driverless tech

The filings come after both firms secured regulatory approval from the China Securities Regulatory Commission earlier this month.

Tesla

Chinese robotaxis race Waymo to take driverless cars global

Baidu’s Apollo Go, WeRide and Pony.ai are outnumbering their US counterparts with more projects in various stages of commercialisation.

Future of transport

Baidu, public transport firm PostBus to launch robotaxis in Switzerland

The two firms expect to start testing their on-demand AmiGo service in December before its full commercial launch in 2027.

Baidu has deployed a fully driverless fleet of more than 1,000 Apollo Go vehicles globally. Photo: Shutterstock
China-EU relations

Opinion | How China’s self-driving cars are shaping Europe’s tech sovereignty

Europe has become a proxy battleground between competing visions of AI governance as China makes inroads in the autonomous vehicle market.

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Visitors view an autonomous driving car during the World New Energy Vehicle Congress in Haikou, Hainan province, on September 27. Photo: Xinhua
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese robotaxi firms Pony.ai, WeRide on road to Hong Kong IPOs

The firms stand to raise US$2.3 billion and US$1.1 billion, respectively, based on the prices of their US-listed shares.

China Future Tech briefing

EVs | China’s robotaxis lead race into overseas markets

Apollo Go, Pony.ai and WeRide are all expanding beyond China and into the Middle East and Europe, giving them a head start over potential US competitors.

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