Hello Launches Robotaxi in China, Eyes Global Expansion
- tech360.tv
- Sep 13, 2025
- 2 min read
Hello, a Chinese bike-sharing and ride-hailing firm backed by fintech giant Ant Group, unveiled its first driverless taxi on Thursday. This move intensifies competition with local rivals Baidu, WeRide, and Pony.ai.
The vehicle, named Hello Robot1, is based on the Venucia VX6 SUV, a product of a joint venture between China’s Dongfeng Motor and Japan’s Nissan. Co-founder Yu Qiankun of Hello’s self-driving unit presented the car at an event in Shanghai.
Hello Robot1 is equipped with 14 high-resolution cameras, eight lidars, and 18 other sensors, providing 360-degree detection of its surroundings. It also includes elastic wave sensors to monitor minor scrapes and bumps, enhancing its response to unforeseen incidents, according to Yu.
Hello has partnered with Alibaba Cloud to create a computing cluster powered by over 10,000 graphics processing units. The firm also teamed with Alibaba Group Holding to develop the Daoyu model series, based on Alibaba’s Qwen artificial intelligence models.
Ant is an affiliate of Alibaba, and Alibaba Cloud is Alibaba’s AI and cloud services unit. This launch marks a significant milestone for Hello, which announced its foray into driverless taxis in June.
Its robotaxi unit secured initial funding exceeding 3 billion yuan (US$421 million) from Hello, Ant, and Contemporary Amperex Technology, the world’s largest electric vehicle battery manufacturer.
As a latecomer, Hello faces strong competition from WeRide, Pony.ai, and Baidu’s Apollo unit, which have expanded services to markets including the US and the United Arab Emirates.
Hello plans to deploy over 10,000 self-driving taxis in more than 10 cities next year, with a goal of expanding to over 50,000 vehicles globally by 2027.
China’s robotaxi industry generated an estimated 1.6 billion yuan in revenue last year, projected to exceed 179 billion yuan by 2035, according to market research firm Frost & Sullivan. Analysts noted China’s dense population gives it a competitive edge in the sector.
However, the business must optimise its unit economics for sustainability. A single vehicle currently costs about 300,000 yuan, which could be reduced by a third by 2030.
Annual operation and maintenance expenses are at least 110,000 yuan, significantly higher than the annual income of 60,000 yuan per vehicle, Frost & Sullivan reported.
Beyond driving capabilities, Hello has developed AI agents for its infotainment system, integrating apps from Hello, Ant’s digital wallet Alipay, and Alibaba’s online marketplace Taobao.
Hello, founded in 2016 as a bike-sharing platform named Hellobike, has evolved into a comprehensive travel service platform offering ride-hailing, car rental, and battery swapping for electric bicycles.
Based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, Ant has participated in multiple funding rounds for Shanghai-based Hello since 2017, becoming its largest shareholder.
Hello’s 2021 US initial public offering (IPO) prospectus indicated Ant held about 36% of the company. Hello abandoned its IPO plans shortly after Beijing launched an investigation into Didi that same year, resulting in a fine of US$1.2 billion and the company’s delisting from the New York Stock Exchange.
Hello, backed by Ant Group, launched its first driverless taxi, Hello Robot1, in China.
The firm plans to deploy over 10,000 self-driving taxis in more than 10 cities next year, with a goal of over 50,000 globally by 2027.
Hello secured initial funding exceeding 3 billion yuan (US$421 million) and partnered with Alibaba Cloud and Alibaba Group Holding for AI development.
Source: SCMP
