Chinese firm Baidu to launch European robotaxi business in Zurich

Baidu wants to establish robotaxis in Switzerland's peripheral regions Keystone-SDA

The Chinese technology group Baidu is set to establish a presence in Zurich to launch driverless vehicles in Europe. This was announced by Yong Gessner, the European head of Baidu’s Intelligent Driving Group, in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung on Monday.

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Gessner told the newspaper that the company sees potential for Switzerland in the peripheral regions. In the city of Zurich, where Baidu is based, there will be no robotaxis on the road, according to him. The company does not want to be present where there is already a service. “We want to supplement the existing offering,” said the European boss.

The specific offer would depend on the partner company and its wishes. The aim is to cooperate with an established local mobility partner. “We can’t give any names,” said Gessner when asked by the Neue Zürcher Zeitung about the fact that, according to the Wall Street Journal, Postbus is to be the local partner in Switzerland. Baidu is in talks with several potential partners, said the head of Robotaxis for the European market.

Start of operations planned for 2026

According to Gessner, the exact launch date also depends on the partners. The company is planning for the vehicles to be operating in Switzerland and Europe as early as next year. Initially, safety drivers will be involved, he said. The quality process also means that the cars must have completed a certain number of kilometres before being approved for commercial operation.

Baidu is already putting vehicles specially designed for robotaxi operation on the road in several Chinese cities under the Apollo Go brand.

Attractive location for top talent

Baidu chose Switzerland as its entry point into the European market partly due to the country’s stability. Zurich is the European centre for artificial intelligence, said the technology group’s representative. It is also close to the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zurich and the university. “Zurich is one of the world’s most attractive locations for top talent,” said Gessner. He did not specify how many employees would be working in Zurich. The aim is to start small and grow steadily.

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Translated from German by DeepL/jdp

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