Author: Andrew Xu

Chinese autonomous driving technology company WeRide has entered the Slovakian market through a strategic partnership aimed at launching the country’s first national-level commercial autonomous driving initiative. The company said on Thursday it had partnered with Elevate Slovakia, a multi-stakeholder initiative, to deploy a range of autonomous mobility solutions, marking its expansion into its 12th global market. The project represents Europe’s first large-scale, state-supported commercialization effort for autonomous driving, according to the company, and makes Slovakia the fourth European country in WeRide’s portfolio. Under the agreement, WeRide will introduce its full lineup of autonomous products, including robotaxis, Robobus shuttles, Robovan delivery…

Chinese smart driving solutions provider Horizon Robotics is preparing a new generation of autonomous driving chips, with its upcoming Journey 7 (J7) series expected to significantly boost computing performance, local media reported on Thursday. According to a report by LatePost, the highest-performance version of the J7 chip is set to surpass Nvidia’s Thor-X in computing power, with mass production planned for 2027. The new series will retain a family-based lineup designed to meet increasing demand for artificial intelligence processing in vehicles. The development marks a shift in Horizon Robotics’ strategy, with product planning now led primarily by its algorithm team…

Chinese autonomous driving technology company WeRide said it is expanding its strategic partnership with Farizon, the commercial vehicle division of Geely, with plans to deploy 2,000 factory-installed robotaxis in domestic and international markets by 2026. The companies said the initiative will mark a new stage of large-scale commercialization for WeRide’s autonomous driving platform. The upgraded GXR robotaxi is expected to begin production in the third quarter of 2026. According to WeRide, the collaboration will leverage Farizon’s vehicle manufacturing system to accelerate production. “Leveraging Geely Farizon’s manufacturing system, the production time for a single vehicle to roll off the line will…

IKEA has moved autonomous delivery vehicles developed by Neolix into permanent operation at its store in Hefei, Anhui Province, following a pilot program that significantly reduced order pickup times and logistics costs. The project was conducted by Ingka Group, the largest franchisee of the IKEA retail brand, and represents one of the more advanced deployments of Level 4 autonomous logistics vehicles in a retail environment. See also: IKEA and LC3 Trasporti Deploy Electric Trucks for Zero-Emission Freight in Italy During the trial, the autonomous vans transported customer orders from an external warehouse to the store’s pickup area and supported internal…

Chinese autonomous driving startup Momenta has confidentially filed for an initial public offering in Hong Kong and could seek to raise at least $1 billion, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The company is working with China International Capital Corp and Deutsche Bank as advisers on the planned listing and has begun meeting investors to gauge early interest in the offering, according to the report. Momenta was valued at more than $5 billion during its latest funding round last year, the report said. The move represents a shift in the company’s listing strategy. Momenta had previously filed confidentially…

A subsidiary of Chinese automaker Changan Automobile is developing a detachable range extender designed to provide additional power for battery-electric vehicles when needed. Hunan Tianyan said it is working on a retrofittable Power Turbine Generator (PTG), a compact auxiliary power system that combines a small gas turbine, generator and power electronics to supply electricity to electric vehicles. The company said the system is intended to address situations where EV drivers may experience reduced range, such as in low temperatures, during high-speed motorway driving or when charging infrastructure is limited. Unlike integrated range extender systems commonly used in extended-range electric vehicles…

Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has released a draft of new national safety requirements for highly automated and autonomous driving systems, targeting vehicles operating at SAE Level 3 and Level 4 automation. The rules are scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2027, pending final approval. The proposed regulation would replace earlier 2024 guidelines, which were voluntary for car manufacturers and robotaxi operators. Under the new framework, compliance would become mandatory, with companies able to submit feedback on the draft until April. At the core of the new standard is the principle that a Level 3 or Level…

Pony.ai said its seventh-generation robotaxi has achieved per-vehicle profitability in Shenzhen, marking a commercial milestone for the Chinese autonomous driving company. The company announced that as of Feb. 28, its Shenzhen fleet generated average daily net revenue of 338 yuan ($49) per vehicle. The milestone follows a similar achievement in Guangzhou in November 2025, making Shenzhen the second tier-one city where Pony.ai reports per-vehicle profitability. According to the company, vehicles in Shenzhen averaged 23 daily orders per car, matching the order volume level recorded when the fleet reached break-even in Guangzhou. During the 2026 Spring Festival holiday, average daily paid…

Baidu said its autonomous ride-hailing service Apollo Go reached a weekly peak of more than 300,000 orders in the fourth quarter of 2025, as the company announced its entry into the South Korean market. According to Baidu’s latest earnings disclosure, Apollo Go completed 3.4 million fully driverless trips in the fourth quarter, representing year-on-year growth of more than 200%. By February 2026, cumulative global rides had surpassed 20 million. See also: Baidu, Uber and Dubai RTA Launch Apollo Go Autonomous Ride-Hailing Service The company said its autonomous fleet has logged more than 300 million kilometres of driving, including 190 million…

Chinese autonomous driving technology company MINIEYE has entered a strategic partnership with Ground Iron Green Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (DST) and vehicle maker Gecko Motors to accelerate commercialization of unmanned delivery vans, the company said in a statement on its official WeChat account. The three companies plan to jointly design, manufacture and deploy vehicle-grade autonomous logistics vehicles at scale, addressing what they describe as a persistent gap in China’s driverless delivery market. The collaboration spans the entire value chain, from technology development and mass production to commercial operations. See also: MINIEYE Signs MoU With ewpartners To Enter Middle East Autonomous…

Cao Cao Mobility, the ride-hailing arm of Geely Holding Group, said its robotaxi fleet has reached 100 vehicles as the company moves into the next phase of its autonomous mobility strategy. The 100th robotaxi began operations in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on Feb. 11, marking a milestone in what the company describes as its Robotaxi 2.0 phase. During this stage, Cao Cao plans to shift gradually from vehicles equipped with safety drivers to fully autonomous operations, while also testing hybrid service models that combine human-driven and driverless vehicles. The company said it aims to validate service reliability and optimize operational processes…

Chinese autonomous driving company Pony.ai said on Feb. 6 that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Moore Threads, aiming to advance the large-scale deployment of Level 4 autonomous driving using domestically developed AI computing hardware. Under the agreement, the two companies will work together on training and optimizing Pony.ai’s core technologies, including its world model and virtual driver system. The collaboration will rely on Moore Threads’ MTT S5000 training-and-inference integrated computing cards and its KUAE intelligent computing cluster to support large-scale training, simulation and in-vehicle model development. See also: Pony.ai Targets Tripling Robotaxi Fleet After Achieving City-Wide Breakeven in…

Chinese autonomous driving company Pony.ai said the first mass-produced bZ4X Robotaxi developed with Toyota has rolled off the production line, marking a key step toward large-scale commercialization of autonomous ride-hailing services. The rollout signals the transition of the Pony.ai–Toyota partnership from pilot operations to scaled manufacturing. The companies plan to produce more than 1,000 bZ4X Robotaxis in 2026, with vehicles to be gradually deployed into commercial service across China’s Tier 1 cities. The move supports Pony.ai’s broader goal of expanding its robotaxi fleet to more than 3,000 vehicles. See also: SANY and Pony.ai Autonomous Heavy-Duty Truck Nears Mass Production The…

UQI, the smart logistics subsidiary of UBTECH, has completed the rollout of the first batch of its Chitu α autonomous logistics vehicles from Foxconn’s Zhengzhou New Energy Vehicle research and development center, marking the end of a key pre-production validation phase ahead of mass manufacturing. The production marked the completion of the PVT (production validation test) stage, which is designed to verify manufacturing consistency, process stability and quality traceability under conditions that simulate full-scale production. The vehicles were built within Foxconn’s automotive-grade smart manufacturing system, creating what the companies described as a closed-loop process covering assembly, inspection and delivery. During…

Xpeng is testing Level 4 autonomous driving capabilities on its yet-to-be-released GX flagship sport utility vehicle, Chinese media outlet Cailian reported on Friday, citing observations of on-road trials in the company’s home city. According to the report, a camouflaged Xpeng vehicle marked with “L4 Autonomous Driving Test” and “Caution” signage was seen undergoing testing on public roads in Guangzhou, where the automaker is headquartered. Xpeng has not publicly commented on the testing activity. See also: Xpeng Elevates AI Leadership, Reshapes Organization to Sharpen Intelligence Focus Cailian said the GX will be equipped with four of Xpeng’s in-house developed Turing AI…

Chinese unmanned delivery company BanmeGo has launched its first autonomous delivery robot, the T6, positioning the vehicle for deployment in complex urban logistics environments, the company said at an event in Shanghai. The T6 features a 6-cubic-metre cargo bay and is built around a modular, “LEGO-like” architecture designed to support multiple deployment scenarios, ranging from logistics parks and factory campuses to public roads. BanmeGo said the design aims to improve operational flexibility while lowering barriers to commercial adoption. The robot is powered by an onboard computing platform delivering 550 tera-operations per second (TOPS) and runs on the company’s proprietary Smartware…

Chinese new energy vehicle and battery maker BYD has made a strategic investment of 100 million yuan ($14.4 million) in Shanghai-based Boonray Technology, underscoring growing momentum behind electrification and automation in the heavy-duty mining industry. Boonray said on Thursday the funding reflects BYD’s recognition of the company’s technology and business model in electric and autonomous mining trucks. The capital will be used to strengthen research and development, accelerate domestic and overseas expansion, and deepen industrial cooperation. See also: BYD Targets 1.3 Million Overseas Vehicle Sales In 2026, Executive Says The two companies plan to collaborate on technology development, supply chain…

Chinese electric vehicle maker Li Auto is restructuring its research and development organisation as it intensifies its focus on robotics and artificial intelligence, according to a report by Chinese technology outlet Leiphone. As part of the changes, Lang Xianpeng, the company’s head of autonomous driving, will take on a new role as head of hardware operations, with primary responsibility for robotics research and development. Lang, a senior vice president, will report to Ma Donghui and will no longer oversee autonomous driving, the report said. See also: Li Auto CEO Highlights AI Push in Internal Meeting Amid Employee Concerns Over Sales…

Chinese autonomous driving company Pony.ai has entered a strategic partnership with mobility service provider ATBB to jointly develop and operate a fully driverless ride-hailing fleet, accelerating the rollout of autonomous technology across urban transport and aviation-related travel scenarios, Pony.ai said in a statement on its WeChat account. The partnership marks an expansion of autonomous ride-hailing into the premium mobility segment, combining Pony.ai’s Level 4 self-driving technology with ATBB’s high-end service capabilities, particularly in business and airport transfer markets. See also: Pony.ai and BAIC BJEV Deepen Partnership to Scale Level 4 Robotaxi Operations Under the agreement, the two companies will deploy…

QCraft said its QPilot intelligent driving system has now been installed in more than one million passenger vehicles, as the company unveiled its next-generation QPilot 2.0 platform at QCraft Day 2026 in Beijing. The company said QPilot 2.0 delivers more than 500 trillion operations per second (TOPS) of computing power and introduces a Vision-Language-Action architecture combined with a World Model framework. The unified architecture is designed to support both Level 2 advanced driver assistance systems and Level 4 autonomous driving applications. See also: QCraft, Chery Commercial Vehicles Partner on Mass-Production L4 Autonomous Logistics Fleet QCraft also confirmed that its single-chip…