DiDi, GAC AION to launch 1st cooperative L4 unmanned NEV in 2025

Beijing (Gasgoo)- DiDi Autonomous Driving, the autonomous driving technology arm of Chinese online ride-hailing giant DiDi, and GAC AION, the new energy vehicle-dedicated unit of GAC Group, recently signed an agreement to deepen cooperation and announced the launch of the "AIDI Plan," a project to develop and mass-produce autonomous new energy vehicles, and the plan to build a joint venture, according to a post on GAC AION's WeChat account.

Photo credit: DiDi 

This marks the first cooperation between an autonomous driving company and an automaker in China to promote the large-scale production of autonomous new energy vehicles.

Following their strategic cooperation agreement in 2021, this is the first public announcement of progress in DiDi and GAC AION’s collaboration. Under the AIDI Plan, DiDi Autonomous Driving and GAC AION will establish a joint venture to jointly explore product and application innovations in the field of intelligent vehicles, and define and mass-produce L4 autonomous new energy vehicles for ride sharing services. 

The first cooperative mass-produced model will be based on GAC AION's AEP 3.0 high-end pure electric platform, “Xingling” electronic and electrical architecture, as well as the industry-leading multi-fusion perception autonomous driving mass production technology. The vehicle will be equipped with DiDi Autonomous Driving's L4 city-generalized engine and unique autonomous driving solution tailored for mobility services. 

Leveraging DiDi Autonomous Driving's unmanned operational system and its experience in the mobility service field, the two companies will jointly create a safe, reliable, comfortable, and cost-effective autonomous new energy vehicle that meets the real needs of users.

The mass-produced vehicle will be deployed to the DiDi ride-sharing network in 2025, enabling all-weather and large-scale dispatching, accelerating the commercialization of L4 autonomous driving technologies. The joint venture will also collaborate with DiDi Chuxing and various enterprises backed by GAC Group.