Alibaba’s Amap rides China car boom in challenge to Google Maps
Alibaba’s mapping arm is expanding overseas, positioning itself as a key partner for Chinese carmakers accelerating into foreign markets
Amap on Monday unveiled an international version of its AutoSDK, a software toolkit designed to support carmakers in developing in-car navigation and cockpit systems for foreign markets. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
Chinese car brands had long struggled to adapt their navigation services to different geographies and local users, making it difficult to iterate quickly to meet global expectations, Amap said in a statement.
Drawing on experience from partnerships with more than 40 domestic car manufacturers, the company said the new AutoSDK would “enable Chinese carmakers to bring proven success to foreign markets and build intelligent competitiveness”.
The international version of AutoSDK covers more than 170 countries across Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and South America, with support for 19 major languages, according to Amap.
The company is accelerating its overseas expansion as it seeks a share of the global navigation market led by Google Maps, which boasts more than 2 billion monthly users worldwide.
Amap’s latest push comes amid surging exports by Chinese carmakers, which shipped 4.96 million passenger vehicles in 2024, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.