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 be drastically reduced from one hour to under 10 minutes,” the company said.
The new vehicles will be equipped with GEN8, the latest generation of WeRide’s autonomous driving sensor suite. The system includes a thousand-channel primary LiDAR sensor designed to improve environmental perception.
WeRide said the sensor setup enhances point cloud detail by 17 times and provides a maximum detection range of up to 600 meters.
The company added that the updated robotaxi model is expected to reduce overall vehicle costs by around 15% as it continues to focus on scaling manufacturing and improving unit economics.
As of January 2026, WeRide reported that its global robotaxi fleet had reached 1,023 vehicles. With the planned deliveries of the new GXR units, the company said its global fleet could exceed 2,600 vehicles later this year.
WeRide said it plans to expand commercial deployment of its robotaxis across multiple regions including China, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Europe.
