AsianFin -- Ant Group-backed Hello, formerly known as Hellobike, has unveiled its first robotaxi, the Hello Robot 1 (HR1), signaling a major push into autonomous driving and AI-driven mobility. The Shanghai-based company revealed the level-four autonomous vehicle yesterday at the 2025 Inclusion Conference on the Bund. L4 vehicles are capable of operating without human intervention within designated areas.

Hello plans to begin mass production of HR1 next year, with a pilot program already underway in Zhuzhou, Hunan province. The company aims to expand operations to over 10 cities, eventually deploying a fleet of 10,000 vehicles once production ramps up. By 2027, Hello intends to roll out more than 50,000 HR1 units globally.

On the same day, Hello signed strategic cooperation agreements with key partners including Venucia, the Dongfeng Motor-backed brand; Alibaba Cloud; autonomous driving firm Horizon Robotics; and lidar manufacturer Hesai Technology. The partnerships are designed to accelerate the commercialization of robotaxi technologies. In particular, the collaboration with Alibaba Cloud will focus on building a computing cluster to train Hello’s autonomous driving models.

The launch of HR1 and the ambitious global deployment plan underscore Hello’s determination to transition from bike-sharing to becoming a major player in the autonomous mobility sector.