Dongfeng Electric Vehicle Co.,Ltd granted license to operate ride-hailing service in Wuhan

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Dongfeng Electric Vehicle Co.,Ltd has been granted a license to operate ride-hailing service business by Wuhan Passenger Transport Taxi Management Office, according to Dongfeng Motor's official WeChat account.

A ride-hailing service platform dubbed DFGO operated by Dongfeng Electric Vehicle Co.,Ltd was formally launched online on June 29. The platform has deployed 100 Dongfeng Fengshen E70s in Wuhan and Shiyan of Hubei province for hourly car rental service and started to operate the taxi business on September 20.

According to the automaker's planning, the DFGO is expected to operate over 50,000 offline taxis by 2019, radiating countrywide with Hubei province as the core.

Aside from Dongfeng Motor, there are a number of Chinese automakers having made layouts in ride-hailing service area by building their own mobility platform or setting up joint venture with partners. Earlier last month, SAIC Group announced its ride-hailing service brand dubbed “Xiangdao Chuxing (in Chinese)” that provides an overall solution to the ride-hailing business, including technical platforms, fleet operation, vehicle maintenance and financial credit.

Daimler Mobility Services GmbH and Geely Group Company, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group's new business subsidiary, claimed on October 24 that they will build a joint venture in China to provide premium ride-hailing services.

On September 27, Ford Smart Mobility, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ford Motor, and Zotye Automobile Co., Ltd signed the final contract for a 50/50 joint venture which will work on providing tailored intelligent EV mobility solutions for ride-hailing service providers and drivers.

Currently, most mainstream OEMs in China have deployed mobility or ride-hailing service business, including BAIC Group, SAIC Motor, Geely, FAW Group, Changan Automobile and Great Wall Motor. Some global automakers like Volkswagen Group, Ford Motor and BMW also highlight China's potential in this domain by partnering with local car makers.