The first French autonomous taxis could be Chinese!

The arrival of autonomous taxis in our cities is just a matter of months, but who will be the first?

This is an announcement that could well shake up the balance of the European mobility market: the first autonomous taxis to hit the roads in France, and more broadly in Europe, could be… Chinese. The tech giant Baidu, in partnership with the American group Lyft, plans to deploy its Apollo Go RT6 robotaxis in Europe as early as 2026.

The project will start in Germany and the United Kingdom, subject to regulatory approval, but the ambitions are clear: the two companies aim to deploy several thousand driverless vehicles on the Old Continent in the coming years. This goal seems achievable, especially since Lyft has just finalized the acquisition of FreeNow, a German ride-hailing platform already established in over 150 cities across nine European countries, including France.

Soon in Europe, already in China

On its part, Baidu is not new to this endeavor. Its Apollo Go service has been operational in China since 2021, with over 11 million autonomous trips recorded in megacities like Beijing and Wuhan. The company thus masters both the technology and the industrialization. Its Apollo RT6 is a 100% electric vehicle, specifically designed for autonomous transport, with a ten-level redundancy safety architecture.

The division of roles is clear: Baidu provides the technology and the vehicles, while Lyft manages logistics, customer interactions, and the daily operations of the service. The two partners will also work hand in hand with local authorities to ensure regulatory compliance and passenger safety.

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In the face of the inertia of European projects in this field, this Sino-American initiative could catch manufacturers and startups on the continent off guard. At this rate, it is no longer excluded that the first autonomous taxis we encounter in Paris, Marseille, or Lyon will bear Chinese names, right under the noses of local players.

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