Car-booking apps start moving up the ladder

Internet giants add spice to nation's growing luxury pickup services market with products to attract more wealthy customers, reports Meng Jing.

The battle of the taxi hailing apps seems to have slowed, with market leaders Kuaidi Dache and Didi Dache calling an end in early August to their months-long marketing campaigns, during which both poured hundreds of millions of yuan into subsidies and cash rebates for taxi drivers and passengers.

But a new competition targeting wealthy travelers is now picking up speed, as Kuaidi, which is backed by e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, launched a new car-booking brand called Kuaidi One that offers pickup services with luxury cars and chauffeur services.