Didi Autonomous Driving Secures $281 Million Funding, L4 Model with GAC Aion to Deliver by Year-End

The new funding will be used to intensify AI research and accelerate the deployment of L4 autonomous driving in more cities.

On October 11, 2025, Didi Autonomous Driving (hereinafter referred to as Didi) announced the completion of its Series D financing round, raising a total of RMB 2 billion ($281 million).

Investors include Zhongguancun Science City Technology Growth Fund, several Beijing-based industrial funds, GAC Group, Guangzhou Guanghua Fund, and Didi Group itself.

Didi stated that the new funding will be used to intensify AI research and accelerate the deployment of L4 autonomous driving in more cities.

Public records show this is the seventh financing round since Didi’s founding, with total funding exceeding RMB 13 billion ($1.83 billion). Previous investors include SoftBank, Valeo, GAC Group, and IDG.

In terms of timeline, Didi was among the earliest players in China to focus on L4 autonomous driving. The autonomous driving team was established in 2016 under co-founder Zhang Bo, upgraded to an independent company in 2019, and has accumulated nearly a decade of expertise in AI, mass production, and operations.

In 2020, following the launch of Robotaxi services in Shanghai, Didi secured over $500 million in Series A financing led by SoftBank Vision Fund.

Over the following years, Didi partnered with automakers. In 2023, GAC Group, through GAC Capital and Guangzhou Development Zone Investment Group, established a special fund investing up to $149 million in Didi Autonomous Driving.

That year, Didi also launched the Orca computing platform and Beiyao Beta LiDAR, achieving 24-hour autonomous vehicle operations in Shanghai.

For commercial deployment, Didi and GAC Aion established Guangzhou Andi Technology in 2024 to accelerate L4 autonomous vehicle mass production.

In July 2025, the first production model debuted at GAC Technology Day and was added to the MIIT’s 400th batch vehicle catalog on October 9.

The vehicle is scheduled for delivery by the end of 2025 and will be showcased in demonstration projects in Beijing, Guangzhou, and other cities.

To date, Didi Autonomous Driving has deployed over 3,000 L4 test vehicles across 11 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, with cumulative test mileage exceeding 80 million kilometers, placing it among the leading domestic Robotaxi operators.