The leading ridesharing platform Didi Chuxing announced on Monday that it will launch new service in Mexico, firming up its stretch globally and expanding its battleground with Uber.

The company said it has officially entered the Mexican market with the Apr.23 launch of Didi Express in Toluca, the capital of the state of Mexico and a business and cultural center about 60 kilometers west of Mexico City.

Didi Mexico will introduce key product innovations in Latin America, including a real-time SOS system, dynamic safety monitoring, multi-person itinerary sharing, round-the-clock user support, and a multivariable driver rating system, the company said.

Driver recruitment in Toluca started in early April. The company hopes to roll out its service to other major cities across Mexico later this year.

The Mexico launch is the latest step for Didi to expand its presence in Latin America since buying out Brazil's biggest ride-hailing business, 99, for a reported US$1 billion in January, intensifying its rivalry with Uber.

Mexico is currently one of Uber's most profitable markets. The U.S. firm entered the country in 2013, and now operates in over 40 cities there.

Data shows that Latin America is the world's third-largest ride-hailing market, behind the U.S. and China.

Besides the Chinese mainland and Latin America, Didi has also expanded its services to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan, and formed investment and technology partnerships with seven international ridesharing leaders, including Grab, Lyft, Ola, Uber, 99, Taxify and Careem, the company said.

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