Author: Andrew Xu

Chinese electric heavy-duty truck startup Zeron said on Tuesday it had completed a $200 million Series B2 funding round as the company accelerates development of its autonomous driving truck business. Investors participating in the round included Zijin Mining, Shandong Energy Group through its Yankuang Capital unit, and Sanhua Holding Group. International investors included Temasek and InnoVen Capital. Zeron said the participation of industrial investors would support expansion in mining transportation and industrial logistics applications, while international investor involvement reflected continued global interest in China’s autonomous driving sector. The funding round marks the company’s second major financing event within two months.…

BYD said its assisted driving systems are now deployed across more than 60 vehicle models and nearly 3 million vehicles globally, with severe accident rates reduced to roughly one-sixth of human driving levels based on airbag-triggered incidents per 10 million kilometres, according to Autohome. The figures were presented by Yang Dongsheng, Senior Vice President of BYD Group and head of the company’s Automotive New Technology Research Institute, during the 13th Intelligent Connected Vehicle Technology Annual Conference in Shanghai on May 21. Yang said BYD accelerated large-scale deployment of intelligent driving systems in early 2025 and now offers Level 2 assisted…

Tesla has again revised the naming of its advanced driver-assistance software in China, a move that has fueled speculation that the company may be preparing for a broader rollout of its Full Self-Driving technology in the market. The company’s Chinese website now refers to the feature as “Tesla Assisted Driving” instead of its previous naming, while maintaining the package price at 64,000 yuan ($9,420). According to Tesla China’s website, the package includes all functions from the company’s basic and enhanced assisted-driving systems, with the full version of Tesla Assisted Driving listed as “available later.” “In the future, vehicles will be…

Xpeng said it believes LiDAR sensors are no longer essential for autonomous driving systems in passenger vehicles, as the company continues transitioning toward a pure vision-based approach similar to that used by Tesla. Xpeng Chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng said during a media briefing on Thursday that the company does not feel pressured by the increasing adoption of LiDAR technology in China’s higher-priced vehicle segment. According to He, the share of models priced above 150,000 yuan ($22,050) equipped with LiDAR continues to rise in China, but Xpeng remains committed to its camera-based autonomous driving strategy. The comments came one day…

Hesai Group said it has secured a new design win from a major European automaker involving more than 1 million LiDAR units, strengthening the company’s position in the global advanced driver assistance systems market. The Nasdaq-listed company announced the agreement on Wednesday but did not identify the automaker involved. According to Hesai, the order will supply LiDAR systems for more than 10 vehicle models under the European manufacturer’s Chinese joint venture brands. The company said the deal reflects growing international recognition of its proprietary chip-based LiDAR technology and large-scale manufacturing capabilities. Hesai said its compact long-range ATX LiDAR system has…

CaoCao Inc. plans to deploy 100 robotaxis in Shanghai’s Jiading District in 2026 under a strategic cooperation agreement with Shanghai International Automobile City Group, as the company accelerates efforts to commercialize autonomous ride-hailing services in China. The Hong Kong-listed company said it will establish a wholly owned subsidiary within the core area of Shanghai International Automobile City (SIAC) to support robotaxi operations and large-scale commercial deployment in the city. Jiading District has emerged as one of Shanghai’s major hubs for intelligent connected vehicle development and autonomous driving testing. Under the agreement, SIAC will provide CaoCao access to local intelligent vehicle…

BYD has signed a framework agreement with Chinese car rental provider Car Inc for the supply of up to 100,000 vehicles, expanding cooperation between the two companies as demand for new energy vehicles grows in China’s mobility sector. The agreement also includes plans to deploy BYD fast-charging stations at selected Car Inc rental locations across the country. Car Inc, one of China’s largest vehicle rental operators, began electrifying its fleet in 2025 to align with the country’s accelerating adoption of new energy vehicles, according to reports from Chinese media outlet CnEVPost. The new arrangement builds on an earlier collaboration between…

Lenovo has entered a strategic partnership with WeRide to deploy up to 200,000 autonomous vehicles worldwide over the next five years, including robotaxis, the companies said. The collaboration was announced at Auto China in Beijing, underscoring ambitions by both firms to accelerate the commercialization of autonomous driving technologies at scale. Founded in 1984, Lenovo has expanded beyond its core personal computer business to become a broader technology provider, while Guangzhou-based WeRide has emerged as a developer of autonomous driving systems with operations spanning robotaxis, shuttle buses, delivery vehicles and sanitation services. https://twitter.com/WeRide_ai/status/2047654287535440103 WeRide has previously drawn attention for its robotaxi…

Pony AI has received regulatory approval in Singapore to launch an invite-only autonomous ride service, marking the final stage before broader public deployment. The company said the service will be operated in partnership with ComfortDelGro, as part of its overseas commercialization strategy. The autonomous service will run along a 12-kilometre route in the Punggol district, connecting residential areas such as Punggol Northshore and Waterway Sunrise with key destinations including Oasis Terraces and Punggol Coast Mall. The journey is expected to take about 55 minutes and provide improved connectivity to MRT stations, potentially saving passengers up to 15 minutes compared with…

Aerofugia Technology has begun preparations for an initial public offering (IPO) as it targets a listing on Shanghai’s STAR Market, according to a filing on the website of the China Securities Regulatory Commission dated April 2. The company signed a pre-IPO tutoring agreement on April 1 with CSC Financial, which will support compliance work for the planned listing. Geely Terrafugia Hubei remains the controlling shareholder with a 40.02% stake. The move follows a funding round of nearly 1 billion yuan (about $140–146 million) completed in February, which the company said was the largest single investment in China’s low-altitude economy so…

Chinese technology company Baidu experienced a rare disruption in its autonomous ride-hailing service, Apollo Go, after multiple robotaxis stalled simultaneously in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, according to local media and authorities. The incident occurred on the night of March 31, when several Apollo Go vehicles stopped operating on city roads, including elevated highways, leaving some passengers temporarily stranded. Local traffic police said they began receiving emergency calls around 9 p.m. and responded to the scene, ensuring that all passengers disembarked safely with no injuries reported. A preliminary investigation by Wuhan traffic authorities attributed the disruption to a system…

Chinese technology company Baidu has launched fully driverless commercial operations of its Apollo Go ride-hailing platform in Dubai, marking a significant step in its expansion into the Middle East. Starting March 30, members of the public in Dubai can access the service through the Apollo Go app, the company said. The rollout follows a temporary suspension earlier in the month due to regional conflict affecting operations in the United Arab Emirates. The deployment is being carried out under the guidance of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), with robotaxi services introduced in phases for commercial use. Baidu said Apollo Go…

CALB has started mass production of aviation-grade batteries for Aridge, marking a step toward the planned commercial rollout of electric flying vehicles. The company said the batteries have rolled off the production line at its Chengdu facility and will serve as the core power system for Aridge’s modular flying car, known as the Land Aircraft Carrier and codenamed X3-F. The development supports the ambitions of Xpeng, which is backing Aridge and aims to begin mass production of its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles later this year. According to CALB, the aviation batteries use high-silicon and high-nickel cells with…

RoboSense reported its first-ever quarterly profit, reflecting strong demand for LiDAR sensors across robotics and electric vehicle applications. The Shenzhen-based company recorded a net profit of 103.7 million yuan ($15 million) in the fourth quarter of 2025, compared with a net loss of 131.1 million yuan in the same period a year earlier, according to its earnings report. Fourth-quarter revenue rose 46.1% year-on-year to 750.7 million yuan, while gross margin improved to 28.5%, up 6.4 percentage points, supported by a more optimized product mix. The result follows a similar milestone by domestic rival Hesai, which recently reported its first full-year…

QCraft has completed a $100 million Series D funding round, as the company intensifies its focus on advanced autonomous driving and physical artificial intelligence technologies. The funding, backed by a leading domestic automaker and several industrial funds, will be used to expand research and development in areas such as world models and reinforcement learning, while also strengthening organizational capabilities and talent development, QCraft said in a statement. Yu Qian, co-founder and chief executive of QCraft, said the company will shift its strategic focus toward Level 4 autonomous driving and general-purpose physical AI, alongside accelerating its expansion into international markets. Yu…

Xpeng has established a new robotaxi business unit, marking a strategic step to accelerate its development and commercialization of autonomous driving technology. The newly created division will operate as a tier-one organization within the company, overseeing product definition, project integration, research and development testing, and daily operations, according to a person familiar with the matter. The unit is expected to collaborate across Xpeng’s existing business lines, leveraging shared resources to advance its robotaxi program. He Xiaopeng said during the company’s fourth-quarter 2025 earnings call that Xpeng plans to begin passenger-carrying demonstration operations for its robotaxi service in the second half…

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…