China’s Didi, BYD to launch co-designed ride-hailing EV, sources say

Didi, which is China’s biggest ride hailing service provider, is developing a swathe of auto-related technologies. — Bloomberg

BEIJING: China’s ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing and electric vehicle maker BYD plan to launch this year a test batch of a vehicle they have designed for ride-hailing services, a person familiar with the matter said.

BYD received approval from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to sell an electric sedan model called D1 last month, according to government documents. A person close to Didi and BYD’s joint venture told Reuters D1 is the purpose-built vehicle for ride hailing services developed by the two firms.