• Baidu has partnered with a Swiss Post subsidiary to introduce Apollo Go driverless vehicles in Switzerland.
• The move is part of Apollo Go's rapid global expansion.
• Apollo Go consumer operations will begin by the end of 2027 at the latest, Baidu says. 

Baidu, Inc. on Wednesday, announced that its robotaxi service, Apollo Go, will debut in Switzerland, with testing beginning at the end of this year.

The Chinese tech giant has partnered with a subsidiary of Swiss Post for the rollout, which will see a fleet of RT6, Apollo Go's latest generation vehicle, deployed to an area that stretches across the cantons of St Gallen, Appenzell Ausserrhoden and Appenzell Innerrhoden.

Baidu said driverless car trials will begin late next year, followed by regular operations becoming available in the first quarter of 2027 at the latest. The vehicles' steering wheels will be removed once the service is fully operational, which Baidu says is a world first for a public robotaxi service.

The development marks the latest step in Apollo Go's rapid global expansion; analysts say the unit is fast becoming a core pillar of the Baidu conglomerate.

Apollo Go's collaboration with US ride-hailing firm Lyft is set to bring its vehicles to the UK and Germany in 2026, subject to regulatory clearance. Last month, the company secured 50 licenses to test robotaxis in Dubai and has indicated plans to explore markets including Australia and Southeast Asia.

Baidu's U.S.-listed shares declined nearly 1% in early premarket trading on Wednesday, tracking a 2% decline in the Hong Kong shares earlier in the day. On Stocktwits, the retail sentiment for BIDU was 'bearish,' unchanged over this week.

Year-to-date, the stock is up 42%.

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