China's Baidu, which operates the driverless Autonomous Driving taxi "Luobo Kuaipao," will fully enter the United Arab Emirates (UAE) market within the first quarter of this year.
Baidu said on the 6th that Luobo Kuaipao was officially selected as a test-ride vehicle at the World Government Summit (WGS) held in Dubai, UAE, recently, showcasing its Autonomous Driving service to political and business figures from around the world.
In particular, during the event, Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed personally took a test ride in a Luobo Kuaipao vehicle, signaling the full-fledged start of local service. Shortly after the ride, Crown Prince Hamdan wrote on his social media (SNS), "Free hands, the future has already arrived."
Luobo Kuaipao plans to commercialize a fully driverless Autonomous Driving service locally in Dubai within the first quarter of this year. It also plans to expand deployment to more than 1,000 vehicles over the next few years. A Baidu representative said, "Commercializing Luobo Kuaipao's driverless Autonomous Driving taxis in Dubai will help achieve the Dubai government's goal of 'automating 25% of all transportation by 2030.'"