By Jiahui Huang
Chinese robotaxi company WeRide plans to deploy robotaxis across the Middle East as part of its partnership with Uber as Chinese robotaxi companies continue their aggressive expansion overseas.
The company said Friday that it plans to deploy at least 1,200 robotaxis in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Riyadh. The deployment is expected to be completed as soon as 2027 and the robotaxis will be available via Uber's app.
Chinese robotaxi companies have been expanding in the Middle East, where policies for the use of new technologies have been relatively welcoming.
Saudi Arabia aims to have autonomous vehicles powering 15% of its public transport by 2030, while Dubai and Abu Dhabi have similar targets.
WeRide, Baidu's Apollo Go, and Pony AI--China's three biggest autonomous-driving players--have all established a presence in the Middle East. Last year, Momenta, a Chinese autonomous-driving technology firm, also announced a partnership with Mercedes-Benz Group to offer luxury robotaxi services in Abu Dhabi.
WeRide has an agreement with Uber to deploy robotaxis in 15 cities by 2030. The robotaxi company currently has over 200 robotaxis in the Middle East.
Write to Jiahui Huang at jiahui.huang@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
02-06-26 0221ET
