Lotus advancing its autonomous drive tech 

While Lotus made its name for producing great driver’s cars, this latest announcement will steer the company in a new direction.  

Lotus Robotics, the autonomous driving division of Lotus, has announced a partnership with CaoCao Mobility, a ride-hailing service backed by Geely Holding. Lotus says this collaboration aims to accelerate the deployment of autonomous driving solutions worldwide.

Together, the two companies have introduced China’s first fully integrated autonomous driving system, featuring a fully customised vehicle, full-unmanned autonomous driving and automated operations. A successful pilot program in Suzhou and Hangzhou demonstrated the technology’s reliability, covering 13,545km without human intervention, apparently. Lotus Robotics and CaoCao Mobility will continue operations in these cities, refining vehicle-road-cloud integration to tackle challenges such as unexpected pedestrian crossings.

This partnership follows Lotus Robotics’ collaboration with Aramco Digital, the technology arm of Saudi Aramco, which aims to bring robotaxis to the Middle East. These strategic moves mark major milestones for the robotics division as it scales globally, providing a full-stack autonomous software solution to businesses seeking safe and efficient self-driving technology.

Lotus Robotics offers three key autonomous driving products:

• ROBO Soul: A comprehensive self-driving software stack that can be integrated into any vehicle. It currently supports up to Level 4 autonomy, meaning vehicles can perform tasks such as highway driving and parking with human intervention as an option. This technology is featured in Lotus’ next-generation electric vehicles, including the hyper-SUV Eletre and hyper-GT Emeya.

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• ROBO Galaxy: A suite of cloud-based tools that manage and analyze fleet data. It gathers information from sensors, roads, and algorithms, continuously improving ROBO Soul’s capabilities.
• ROBO Matrix: A real-time monitoring system that enhances remote safety, offering guidance, control, and AI-driven learning to improve driving accuracy and security.

Among its latest advancements, Lotus Robotics has developed ‘Navigate on Autopilot’ (NOA), allowing urban road navigation without map reliance. This enables smooth transitions between highways and city streets, intelligent lane selection, U-turns, and obstacle avoidance. The technology is already operational in China, with a global rollout expected in Q4 2025, subject to regional regulations.

Lotus Robotics collaborates with major automotive brands, including Lynk & Co and Farizon Auto, to bring self-driving technology to a broader audience. To support its global expansion, it utilizes Amazon Web Services (AWS) for data storage and analysis, ensuring compliance with market regulations.

CaoCao Mobility currently operates in 57 Chinese cities, serving over 35,000 businesses and seven million professionals, making it a preferred choice for corporate travel. This partnership further cements Lotus Robotics’ role in shaping the future of autonomous mobility.