WeRide Accelerates Global Robotaxi Expansion With Geely Farizon Deal

About this update from Weride Inc. Class A

WeRide Inc. WRD announced an expansion of its strategic collaboration with Zhejiang Farizon New Energy Commercial Vehicle Group, the commercial vehicle division of Geely. Under the agreement, the companies plan to deliver 2,000 upgraded, purpose-built Robotaxi GXR vehicles by 2026, supporting WeRide’s efforts to scale its autonomous mobility services globally.The upgraded Robotaxi GXR is expected to begin rolling off the production line in the third quarter of 2026. The vehicle will incorporate Farizon’s AI-enabled drive-by-wire chassis, along with its established supply chain and production management systems. These capabilities are expected to streamline the manufacturing process, reducing assembly time from about one hour to less than 10 minutes. Ongoing cost-optimization initiatives are also projected to lower the overall vehicle cost by roughly 15%.The new vehicles will also be equipped with WeRide’s Sensor Suite 8.0 (SS8.0), part of its latest GEN8 autonomous driving system. The system uses a thousand-channel primary LiDAR designed to improve point-cloud detail by 17 times and provide a maximum detection range of up to 600 meters.The extended sensing range can provide more than 70% additional reaction time in high-speed driving scenarios. The system is also designed to maintain stable perception in adverse weather conditions, including heavy rain and dense fog. The planned deployment is expected to significantly expand WeRide’s robotaxi fleet. As of January 2026, the company reported that its global fleet totaled 1,023 vehicles. With the addition of the new units, WeRide expects its operating fleet to exceed 2,600 robotaxis this year, marking continued progress toward its long-term goal of deploying tens of thousands of vehicles worldwide by 2030.The collaboration also builds on earlier developments in WeRide’s robotaxi program. The GXR model, developed on Farizon’s SuperVAN platform, was introduced in October 2024 and later entered fully driverless commercial service in Beijing before launching operations in Guangzhou in August 2025.Currently, WeRide’s robotaxis operate in Guangzhou, Beijing and Abu Dhabi, while passenger services are available in Dubai and Riyadh. In Singapore, trial operations are nearing completion, with public services scheduled to begin on April 1, 2026.WeRide aims to leverage its collaboration with Zhejiang Farizon New Energy...

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