HSBC analysts predict that the driverless taxi market in China could reach $40 billion annually, driven by advanced digital infrastructure and consumer interest in new technologies.
Chinese firms are leading the global autonomous driving industry with robotaxis becoming more common, but specific timelines were not provided for market development.
In addition to passenger services, autonomous vehicles could also tap into a $30 billion market for logistics and delivery, although initial costs may impact profitability for several years, according to HSBC.
Chinese autonomous vehicles mainly operate at Level 4 autonomy, requiring partial human oversight, with companies like Baidu's Apollo leading the way in driverless technology deployment in cities like Wuhan.