On January 23, AION, in collaboration with DiDi Autonomous Driving, officially delivered the next-generation robotaxi, R2, at the AION factory. The first batch of delivered vehicles has been granted Guangzhou’s Intelligent Connected Vehicle Road Test License. Representatives involved in the handover event included GACGROUP Chairman Zeng Qinghong, General Manager Feng Xingya, DiDi Founder, Chairman, and CEO Cheng Wei, as well as DiDi Co-founder and CEO of DiDi Autonomous Driving, Zhang Bo.
R2 focuses on three core goals: autonomy, mass production, and commercialization. It achieves breakthroughs in technical configuration, safety assurance, ride experience, and operational efficiency. Equipped with 33 high-precision sensors and the industry’s first mass-produced three-domain fusion computing unit with a computing power exceeding 2000 TOPS, R2 enhances performance while reducing costs by 74%. The vehicle meets dual five-star standards in China and Europe, establishing a full-link safety redundancy system and has undergone rigorous functional safety validation and all-scenario testing to ensure reliability in complex conditions. R2 features a front interactive display, a 17.3-inch ceiling-mounted entertainment screen, and intelligent voice control, optimizing rear space and is equipped with a standard UV disinfection system.
In the strategic context of national integration of intelligent connected vehicles with smart transportation, the collaboration between GACGROUP and DiDi Autonomous Driving is an example of industry synergy. As one of the earliest automotive companies in China to engage in robotaxi research, GACGROUP has a wealth of technical experience. As early as 2018, GACGROUP developed the GIVA intelligent driving platform vehicle, providing partners with an open and secure autonomous driving R&D platform. R2 inherits GACGROUP’s core strengths in new energy vehicle manufacturing, and the GEP 3.0 platform, recognized within the industry for its high interface openness and strong stability as a dedicated electric platform, integrates an electric vehicle platform, open drive-by-wire platform, electric steering, and redundant braking. The Xingling electronic and electrical architecture offers hardware support for autonomous driving systems, ensuring efficient processing and coordination of multi-sensor data.
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