Didi Chuxing unveils autonomous driving unit as an independent company in China

Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing said on Monday it has launched its autonomous driving unit as an independent company that will focus on research and look to deepen collaboration with automakers. Didi’s chief technology officer (CTO), Zhang Bo, has been named CEO of the autonomous driving unit. He will continue to be CTO of the ride-hailing giant. Earlier this year, the company also introduced a suite of financial products, including crowdfunding and lending with an intention to diversify outside the ride-hailing business following a year of safety scandals. [caption id=“attachment_7110741” align=“alignnone” width=“1024”] Logo of Didi Chuxing is seen at its headquarters building in Beijing, China 28 August 2018. Image: Reuters.[/caption] The products brought Didi into competition with investor Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and technology peer Tencent Holdings Ltd. They also come as rivals including other Alibaba-backed firms have been making a renewed push in a ride-hailing market dominated by Didi, aiming to tap unmet demand brought about by regulatory change. Back then, Didi itself was facing new rules and increased scrutiny from authorities after a series of high-profile safety incidents, including the murders of two female Didi passengers in separate cases. With inputs from Reuters.