China’s WeRide eyes Hong Kong, Singapore roads for robotaxis as self-driving giants expand

Chinese self-driving technology developers continue to expand outside the mainland as WeRide seeks to launch robotaxi services this year in Hong Kong and Singapore, according to an executive.WeRide’s planned entry into Hong Kong was set to cover both robotaxis and robobuses, said senior director of public relations and marketing Maeve Zhang in a media briefing on Tuesday, without disclosing the operation areas or a launch date.Meanwhile, the Guangzhou-based company said it planned to launch Robotaxi GXR, one of its robotaxi models, in Singapore in collaboration with Grab. Starting April 1, passengers in the country would be able to hail a self-driving vehicle using the Grab app, Zhang said, adding that there would be a safety operator on board initially in compliance with local regulations.China’s self-driving giants are racing to conquer markets beyond the mainland, as they see the potential for new business.Baidu’s Apollo Go in 2024 became the first company to receive a green light to conduct road tests in Hong Kong. Its vehicles had racked up 20,000km of “safe driving” in the city, the company said in August.Guangzhou-based Pony.ai was “in talks” to expand to Hong Kong, said public relations manager Guo Yu on Tuesday.