DiDi Autonomous Driving secures investment from GAC Group

Beijing (Gasgoo)- DiDi Autonomous Driving, the autonomous driving technology arm of Chinese ride-hailing giant DiDi, on October 12 announced a significant investment from GAC Group. 

DiDi's autonomous vehicle in Guangzhou; photo credit: DiDi

GAC Group, through its wholly-owned subsidiary GAC Capital and Guangzhou Development District Investment Group, will jointly establish a special fund with equal contributions, investing up to $149 million in DiDi Autonomous Driving.

DiDi Autonomous Driving is committed to intensifying its investment in technological R&D, expediting product applications, fostering open collaborations in the industry chain, and constructing an open and sustainable industrial ecosystem. This initiative is aimed at accelerating the large-scale and commercial use of autonomous driving technology.

CTO of DiDi Chuxing and CEO of DiDi Autonomous Driving, Zhang Bo, expressed his enthusiasm about the strategic collaboration with GAC Group, highlighting the latter’s leadership in the automotive industry and prominence in the new energy vehicle sector. He acknowledged GAC Group's substantial expertise across the entire industry chain, emphasizing the potential for enhancing DiDi Autonomous Driving's capability to create an open and sustainable shared mobility network. This network aims to provide users with safe, convenient, and cost-effective autonomous mobility services.

Yu Jun, Vice President of GAC Group and Chairman of GAC Capital, emphasized GAC Group's pioneering role in the development of China’s automobile industry's "New Four Modernizations" strategy. The automaker’s dedication to both independent R&D and cooperative ventures place it at the forefront of the industry in smart manufacturing and autonomous driving. Acknowledging DiDi's leadership, particularly in autonomous driving technology and scenario data systems, GAC Group expressed full confidence in DiDi Autonomous Driving's future development.