On May 27, Chinese autonomous driving technology company WeRide (Nasdaq: WRD) announced its market expansion strategy for Saudi Arabia. The company plans to launch full-scale Robotaxi commercial operations in Saudi Arabia by 2025, with a pilot operation of Robotaxi services scheduled to go live on the Uber platform in the coming months.
Prior to this, WeRide has made significant progress in the Saudi market. In September 2022, WeRide made its first appearance at the "2022 Global Artificial Intelligence Summit" held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, announcing its partnership with the Saudi Company for Artificial Intelligence (SCAI) and the successful deployment of the first dynamic demonstration route for autonomous minibuses, Robobus, in Saudi Arabia. In October 2023, WeRide was invited to attend the 7th Future Investment Initiative (FII) Summit in Saudi Arabia, where it provided the only live autonomous driving demonstration at the event.
Expanding into international markets has become an essential strategy for WeRide. The company is currently facing several challenges in the domestic market, including business contraction, vehicle manufacturers reducing reliance on external suppliers, difficulties in large-scale Robotaxi commercialization, and high R&D costs affecting cash flow. This necessitates exploring growth opportunities in overseas markets.
WeRide is currently operating in 30 cities across 10 countries globally. In the fourth quarter of 2024, the company’s global product revenue grew by 45.5% year-over-year. Additionally, WeRide is actively collaborating with Uber, combining Uber’s operational management and market channel capabilities with WeRide's autonomous driving technology to advance the global commercialization of Robotaxi services. Moving forward, WeRide and Uber plan to expand their cooperation, aiming to deploy Robotaxi services in 15 international cities (including Europe and the Middle East) over the next five years.
Founded in 2017, WeRide is the only technology company globally to hold autonomous driving licenses in five countries. The company is dedicated to developing safe and reliable autonomous driving technology, with applications across smart mobility, smart logistics, and smart sanitation. WeRide has entered the commercial operation phase for autonomous driving, offering a range of products including Robotaxi, Robobus, Robovan, Robosweeper, and Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS), providing services in ride-hailing, on-demand buses, urban logistics, intelligent sanitation, and advanced intelligent driving solutions.
