The pincer movement around Uber is growing, as Chinese giant Didi is confirmed as the new owner of Brazilian brand 99.
The four-year-old company already had a strategic alliance with its Chinese counterpart following a $100 million investment in January 2017.
But the pair have formally become one this week with an undisclosed takeover that is reported to have cost Didi $600 million to buy out existing investors and a further $300 million in development capital.
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The deal essentially puts Didi in Uber's backyard as the U.S.-based ride-hailing looks to expand its own services into Latin America.
99 had previously taken some $240 million in investment capital - most recently from Didi and Uber-backer Softbank in May last year.
Didi itself swallowed up another $4 billion funding round from Softbank in late-2017.
99 CEO Peter Fernandez says in a statement: "We feel privileged to be now a single organization with an even stronger purpose: improve the transportation industry and massively impact the lives of billions of people worldwide."
The acquisition in 99 gives Didi a network of services in over 1,000 cities worldwide, through a combination of deals and strategic partnerships in what most consider is a rearguard action against Uber.
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The Rides Everywhere consortium and consumer-facing service was launched in 2015, following agreements with Ola in India, Lyft in the US and Grab in South East Asia.
Did founder and CEO, Cheng Wei, says: "Globalization is a top strategic priority for DiDi. With enhanced investments in AI capabilities and smart transportation solutions, we will continue to advance the transformation of global transportation and automotive industries through diversified international operations and partnerships."