WeRide, Lenovo team up to scale 200,000 robotaxis by 2031

Beijing: Chinese tech firms WeRide and Lenovo will expand their partnership to deploy 200,000 autonomous vehicles globally over the next five years, a WeRide statement said on Monday.

WeRide, based in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, is a key player in Beijing's bid to champion the burgeoning autonomous driving sector.

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The firm, which listed in New York in 2024 and then in Hong Kong last year, holds autonomous driving permits in eight markets, including China, the United States, France and Saudi Arabia.

Beijing-based consumer electronics giant Lenovo provides the technological hardware needed to power WeRide's autonomous vehicles under their partnership agreement.

WeRide's statement on Monday unveiled an "expanded collaboration with Lenovo... to accelerate the large-scale commercialization of... autonomous driving worldwide".

"Starting 2026, the two companies expect to jointly deploy 200,000 autonomous vehicles (AVs), including Robotaxis, globally over the next five years, marking one of the industry's most ambitious efforts to scale autonomous mobility," it said.

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Company executives were seen in a picture accompanying the statement shaking hands at a signing ceremony on the sidelines of Auto China 2026 -- the world's largest car show, currently underway in Beijing.

"Autonomous driving is entering a critical phase of commercial deployment, with industry competition shifting from pure technological capability to cost efficiency and scalable deployment," WeRide founder and CEO Tony Han was quoted as saying.

It is projected that robotaxis will make up a substantial proportion of the overall fleet of shared passenger vehicles operating in China by 2035.

This would also establish China as the largest robotaxi services sector, capturing more than half the global market share.

Listed Chinese ride-hailing companies Didi and Caocao have both included autonomous driving services in their future growth plans.