(Yicai Global) March 14 -- Japanese auto giant Nissan Motor is piloting driverless taxi services in parts of Suzhou, a city near Shanghai, supported by Chinese autonomous driving unicorn WeRide.

The robotaxis use Nissan's all-electric model LEAF with the self-driving tech supplied by Guangzhou-based WeRide, Nissan said on its website today.

The service is operated by Nissan Mobility Service, a company set up by Nissan China Investment in November last year to accelerate Yokohama-based Nissan’s business transformation in China.

In the initial stages, the robotaxi service will cover a core area of the Suzhou High-speed Rail New Town in downtown Xianchang district and local residents can hail an unmanned cab using Nissan’s app 'e23 ChuXing,' Nissan said.

Covering an area of 280,000 square meters, the new town aims to become low-carbon demo area with a focus on high-end services.

WeRide has rich experience in researching, developing and operating unmanned taxis, said Futakawa Ichijo, general manager at Nissan Mobility Service. In the future, the pair will work together to expand the operating area of the firm’s robotaxis in China.

Last year, Nissan's China sales plunged 22 percent from the year before to 1.05 million units but it was still the eighth consecutive year when shipments topped one million units, it said earlier.

Editor: Kim Taylor