Baidu slides as China halts robotaxi expansion after glitch

Baidu shares fell 2% heading into Wednesday after Beijing halted new licenses for autonomous vehicle operators. The decision followed an incident where over 100 Apollo Go taxis stopped in Wuhan, prompting regulators to demand full safety reviews. The suspension prevents companies from adding new robotaxis or expanding into new cities, pressuring Baidu and rivals Pony AI and WeRide.