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(Yicai Global) Jan. 11 -- China's car-hailing giant Didi Chuxing, developed by Beijing Xiaoju Technology Co., has established a business division code-named "dark horse" in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province. It will focus on electric bike- and electric car-sharing businesses. The news comes at a time when the ride-hailing market in China is about to brace a price war.
Didi has already run indoor road test rides in Hangzhou, according to a report in the daily Beijing News yesterday. Didi Chuxing plans to roll out electric bike-sharing services in at least three cities in the first half of this year, a project supported by local transportation departments, the report claimed. However, Didi did not make any comment on the story.
The company has ideas for car-sharing business, but it needs to be planned and operated after a detailed research, said Cheng Wei, founder and CEO of Didi, during the Fourth World Internet Conference held last December.
The news about Didi Chuxing's possible expansion into electric bike- and car-sharing businesses comes at a time when Meituan-Dianping, a tie-up between two internet heavyweights, announced they will roll out ride-hailing services in China's major cities. "If you want war, you will get war," responded Didi CEO Cheng, quoting 12th-century Mongolian ruler Cenghis Khan.