WeRide has accused domestic rival Pony.ai of making false and misleading statements in its Hong Kong IPO roadshow materials, intensifying competition between the two autonomous driving technology firms ahead of their market debuts.
According to a report by Sina Tech, WeRide Chief Financial Officer Li Xuan issued a lengthy rebuttal in an analyst group, denying what she described as inaccurate claims made by Pony.ai in presentations to Hong Kong investors. She cited multiple misrepresentations, including false data on WeRide’s operational areas and claims that it had completed no rides.
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WeRide said its robotaxi fleet now exceeds 700 vehicles with over 2,200 days of public operations, covering cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou, and several locations in the Middle East. The company added that its end-to-end autonomous driving solution, developed with Bosch and Chery, has been validated for mass production. It also operates in 30 cities across 11 countries, holding licenses in seven nations and conducting fully driverless operations in five.
WeRide demanded that Pony.ai correct its materials, accusing it of crossing competitive boundaries by including biased and disparaging statements. Pony.ai has not yet responded to the allegations.
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The dispute comes as both companies race to become the first publicly traded robotaxi firm in Hong Kong. The two began their Hong Kong listing offerings earlier this week and are scheduled to start trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on November 6. WeRide was listed on Nasdaq on October 25, 2024, followed by Pony.ai on November 27, 2024.