Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing said it will upgrade its autonomous driving unit to an independent company, focusing on the research and development (R&D) and application of the technology, while looking to deepen cooperation with carmakers.

The company made the announcement Monday on their public WeChat account.

Zhang Bo, Didi's chief technology officer, has been named CEO of the new company, according to the statement.

"The new company hopes to further open up strategic cooperation with automobile manufacturers and industrial partners, to jointly promote the commercialization of driverless technology," Zhang said.

Didi's autonomous driving unit was established in 2016, and has now more than 200 employees in China and the United States, the company said.