DEPLOYDatabase

Deployment

Apollo RT6 at Chongqing

Baidu's sixth-generation autonomous robotaxi, a purpose-built battery-electric vehicle (cross between an SUV and a minivan, with a detachable steering wheel) built on Baidu's Apollo Galaxy / Xinghe self-driving platform. Manufactured by Baidu without relying on a third-party automaker, at roughly 204,600 RMB (~$28,600) per vehicle, about half the cost of the prior generation. Powers Apollo Go's fully-driverless commercial ride-hailing service across Chinese cities and international markets.

Apollo RT6 by Baidu · Machine verified · Robotaxis

Track Apollo RT6 at Chongqing

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Footage

PRIMARY SOURCE
Courtesy of Baidu

Baidu's reveal of the purpose-built Apollo RT6, the vehicle for its Apollo Go robotaxi fleet. A product unveil, not proof of driverless operation.

Operator: Baidu (Apollo Go). Chongqing received China's first fully-driverless commercial robotaxi permits alongside Wuhan in August 2022. Initial fee-charging robotaxi service operated in a designated ~30 sq km area of Chongqing's Yongchuan District (9:30am-4:30pm). One of Apollo Go's founding fully-driverless commercial markets.

Key facts

Service type
Fully-driverless commercial robotaxi
Permit
China's first fully-driverless commercial permit (Aug 2022, with Wuhan)
Coverage
~30 sq km area of Chongqing's Yongchuan District
Hours
9:30am-4:30pm
Status
One of Apollo Go's founding fully-driverless commercial markets

Exposure

Customer segment
consumer
Scale tier
undisclosed

Each exposure value carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.

Safety record

No incidents on record for Apollo RT6 at Chongqing.

Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Trust tier
Machine verifiedhow tiers work →
Last updated
2026-08-21
Model
Apollo RT6
Company
Baidu
Location
China/Chongqing
Operator
Baidu
Status
operational
Operator type
maker operated
Scale at site
undisclosed
Site environment
outdoor
Location precision
verified coordinates
First seen
2022-08-08
ID
c1a4bc4f-8183-4f9e-9efb-c5da8fe75f7d

Timeline

  1. Aug 2022
    First recorded
    Apollo RT6 first documented operating at Chongqing.
  2. May 2026
    created
  3. Aug 2026
    Current status: operational, reviewed
    Latest recorded state. New status transitions append here as the deployment-status recorder produces them.

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Apollo RT6 operates in Chongqing. Explore the full verified map:

Verifications (1)

  • Machine verified by DEPLOY content-agent (Sprint 1.5 re-verification)2026-05-30

    Evidence: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1329099/000119312526228123/d156481dex991.htm (SEC filing)

    asOf
    2026-05-30
    basis
    Operating fully-driverless per Baidu Q1 2026 results (22M cumulative public rides; 100% fully-driverless in mainland cities incl. Beijing/Shenzhen). The May 2026 China regulatory cooling-off halts NEW AV permits/expansion following the Wuhan incident, but existing city operations continue.
    status
    active

Sources (7)

  1. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1329099/000119312526228123/d156481dex991.htm
  2. https://ir.baidu.com/news-releases/news-release-details/baidu-announces-third-quarter-2025-results
  3. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/baidu-granted-chinas-first-ever-permits-for-commercial-fully-driverless-ride-hailing-services-301601296.html
  4. https://autonews.gasgoo.com/articles/news/baidu-greenlighted-for-chinas-first-ever-commercial-driverless-robotaxi-service-70021009
  5. https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/07/baidu-to-operate-fully-driverless-commercial-robotaxi-in-wuhan-and-chongqing/
  6. https://cnevpost.com/2024/05/15/baidu-apollo-launches-6th-gen-robotaxi/
  7. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202208/1272454.shtml
Methodology: Verified · 7 sources (3 primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-21

Verification posture

Verified

High confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-08-21

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: commercial

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: av

Sources by quality tier

3
unclassified
Unclassified source
2
primary-company-ir
Company IR disclosure
1
primary-sec-filing
SEC filing
1
secondary-industry-publication
Industry publication

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Apollo RT6 at Chongqing.

Common questions

What is the Apollo RT6 deployment at Chongqing?
Apollo RT6, built by Baidu, is recorded as a deployment at Chongqing on the DEPLOY registry. Baidu operates the deployment directly.
Who operates Apollo RT6 at Chongqing?
Baidu, the manufacturer of Apollo RT6, operates this deployment directly. This is a maker-deploys-its-own-product arrangement rather than a customer pilot.
When did the Apollo RT6 deployment at Chongqing go live?
The deployment is recorded as starting August 8, 2022 on the DEPLOY registry. Earlier activity may exist but is not yet sourced.
Have there been incidents at the Apollo RT6 deployment at Chongqing?
No active incidents affecting this deployment are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Absence of recorded incidents is not a guarantee no incident occurred; DEPLOY records only sourced incidents and suppresses retracted ones.

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