Baidu (BIDU) saw its stock surge 5.15% in a 24-hour period, with the Chinese tech giant's shares experiencing a significant boost in pre-market trading. The rally comes on the heels of impressive news from Baidu's autonomous driving unit, Apollo Go, which has reached a major milestone in its operations.

According to a CNBC report, Apollo Go has surpassed 250,000 fully driverless weekly ride orders as of October 31. This achievement puts Baidu's autonomous driving service on par with Alphabet's Waymo, which reported similar figures in April. The rapid growth of Apollo Go demonstrates Baidu's strong position in the highly competitive autonomous vehicle market, potentially driving investor optimism.

Adding to the positive sentiment, Apollo Go also revealed an impressive safety record. The company reported only one airbag deployment for every 10.1 million kilometers driven, with no major accidents involving human injury or death to date. This safety performance could be crucial in building public trust and regulatory support for autonomous driving technology, further strengthening Baidu's market position in this innovative sector.