Not long ago, the unmanned taxi service "Luobo Kuaibao" started operating in Wuhan, quickly becoming a phenomenon and sparking a hot topic of whether "unmanned taxis will replace taxi drivers." This is the first time that Level 4 autonomous driving, which requires minimal human intervention and operates in almost all scenarios, has truly been commercially implemented.

Data released shows that Luobo Kuaibao has seen an explosive growth in fully unmanned orders in Wuhan, with peak daily orders per vehicle exceeding 20, reaching the same level as taxi drivers' daily orders. Moreover, Luobo Kuaibao has a significant price advantage. According to media research, the per-mile price of Luobo Kuaibao is 3/4 of that of ordinary ride-hailing platforms, and it can even be half after temporary discounts.

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This situation has directly ignited the "smart ride-hailing" concept in the A-share market. Stocks related to Starnet Yuda, Jinjiang Online, Volkswagen Traffic, and Haima Automobile have seen consecutive increases, with Volkswagen Traffic even rising for more than 20 days, and even pushing Baidu's recent surge of 15% in the US stock market. According to Pacific Securities' calculations, the market size of unmanned taxi services and their derivatives is expected to exceed 1.18 trillion yuan next year, and may reach an astonishing 2.93 trillion yuan by 2030. The prospects are very broad.

It is understood that Baidu has currently opened manned test operation services in 11 cities and is conducting fully unmanned autonomous driving travel service tests in Beijing, Wuhan, Chongqing, Shenzhen, and Shanghai. This means that the concept of smart ride-hailing will continue to be a highlight in the A-share market.

Behind the popularity of Luobo Kuaibao, China is seizing the high ground in the transformation of new and old kinetic energy.

Behind the boom of unmanned taxis is a new change in global economic development—the transformation of "new and old kinetic energy."

Currently, the global economy is facing a situation of insufficient momentum and weak growth, urgently needing an upgrade in growth momentum. Cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, 5G, cloud computing, and big data are becoming representatives of new quality productivity. They not only promote the upgrading of traditional industries and move towards intelligent development but also become a new engine for economic growth. Research shows that the use of artificial intelligence may eventually increase the global GDP by 7% or nearly 7 trillion US dollars (currently about 50 trillion yuan) within 10 years.

Unmanned driving is a representative of this, as an important technology driven by cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and cloud computing, it will become another major technological upgrade in the global automotive industry. At present, both international car companies such as Audi and Mercedes-Benz, and representatives of China's automotive industry such as SAIC, BYD, and Geely, are increasing their investment in this field.

It is worth mentioning that in the development of new kinetic energy, China has been actively deploying and seizing the high ground of technology. Taking autonomous driving as an example, China has been at the forefront in core technology. Statistics show that about 43% of the world's autonomous driving invention patents come from China, far ahead of the United States, South Korea, Germany, Japan, and other countries. At the same time, China has also become the world's largest target market for autonomous driving patent layout, with 58% of the world's autonomous driving patents laid out in China.

Behind the popularity of Baidu's Luobo Kuaibao lies its core technological advantages. Previously, in the global ranking of enterprises with autonomous driving field invention patents, Baidu ranked first with 3,477 applications, followed by Toyota with 3,392, Bosch with 2,552, Honda with 2,466, and Hyundai with 2,024.Moreover, as the new quality of productivity accelerates its development in China, the strength of China's industries and the global influence of its brands are also continuously increasing. Representative Chinese brands such as Huawei, Haier, and Moutai have repeatedly set new highs in the international market. For instance, as the leading brand in China's liquor industry, Moutai has seen its international market revenue grow from 110 million yuan to 4.35 billion yuan from 2002 to 2023, a significant increase of 38.5 times. Nowadays, there are even bars abroad that mix Moutai cocktails. "Moutai" has become another fashionable Chinese term after "Ni Hao."

Mastering Core Competitiveness for Counter-Cyclical Growth

Whether it's Baidu's RoboTaxi service or other representatives of new quality productivity, as well as brands like Huawei and Moutai that have gained international influence, they all share one common feature - mastering core competitiveness.

Why has Moutai been able to maintain its position as the number one Chinese liquor for 17 years? One of the key factors is its core competitiveness in product quality, "yeast strains." Ji Kailiang, the former chairman of Moutai, has repeatedly stated that the yeast strains are the core determinant of Moutai's taste.

However, many people are unaware that, in addition to Moutai, there is another state-owned liquor factory in Guizhou, the Guiding Distillery, which also possesses the same yeast strains as Moutai.

Why has the Guiding Distillery been able to master the core technology that Moutai has?

It turns out that as early as the 1970s, in order to expand Moutai's production for foreign exchange, the Ministry of Light Industry initiated a two-phase pilot plan for Moutai. They organized a team of over 130 experts to go to Guizhou. This team spent three years and conducted thousands of experiments, finally isolating 13 yeast strains that play a decisive role in Moutai's flavor.

Later, the Ministry of Light Industry handed over the expansion task, along with the 13 yeast strains, to the then highly regarded Guiding Distillery in Guizhou. They precisely controlled the yeast strains, raw materials, and processes according to Moutai's standards. Some seasoned distillers even stayed up all night to ensure the success of the expanded production. The resulting liquor was the "Gui Chang Chun Liquor," which once sold well in more than 20 provinces across the country and won several awards including the "International Liquor Festival Gold Award," "China's High-Quality Liquor," and "Outstanding Enterprise in the National Liquor Industry." However, due to the company's lack of marketing skills, Gui Chang Chun gradually faded from the limelight, with its reputation no longer as prominent as before.

In recent years, Gui Chang Chun has once again gained popularity due to its core technology - the same yeast strains as Moutai, which have been rediscovered by some liquor enthusiasts. More importantly, it is very affordable. In the current economic climate, its high cost-performance ratio is particularly favored, leading to an 87.4% increase in sales compared to the previous year.

Today, in an era of global economic transformation and upgrading, both representatives of new quality productivity and leading Chinese brands with global influence are achieving counter-cyclical growth through core competitiveness. This is also the confidence behind China's economic leadership. And when you drink "Gui Chang Chun," the core secret of fine liquor is in your hands. Let's toast to the upgrade of China's economy and to the future of China.