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China is establishing itself as a global powerhouse in autonomous driving. Its companies have tested self-driving cars in all kinds of conditions—from the busy streets of Beijing to quieter suburban roads. Now, they are taking the next step— rolling out robotaxi fleets not just in China, but around the world. Soon, residents in cities across the Middle East, Europe and Southeast Asia will be able to summon driverless rides straight from their phones.
Three companies are leading the charge: Pony AI Inc. PONY, Baidu Inc. BIDU, and WeRide WRD. Let’s explore what each of them is doing to shape the future of autonomous mobility.
Pony.ai has steadily turned the dream of fully driverless cars into a commercial reality. It is currently the only company in China offering fully autonomous robotaxis across all four tier-one cities—Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. Covering more than 2,000 square kilometers, its fleet has logged over 50 million kilometers worldwide.
Pony.ai recently extended its operating hours in key cities. In Guangzhou and Shenzhen, robotaxis now run 24/7, and Beijing has also moved to round-the-clock testing. Its proprietary “virtual driver” system has amassed over half a million hours of autonomous operation, as notified by the company in July.
On the manufacturing side, Pony.ai started mass production of its seventh-generation robotaxi in mid-2025 through partnerships with GAC and BAIC, with over 200 vehicles already deployed and a target of 1,000 by year-end. Collaborating with Tencent Cloud is further boosting the company’s technical capabilities.
Pony.ai is actively looking for global expansion. Recently, it entered the Singapore market, teaming with ComfortDelGro to launch self-driving services in Punggol once approvals are granted. In Europe, Pony.ai is running road tests with Luxembourg’s Emile Weber, while in South Korea, its vehicles are undergoing round-the-clock trials in Seoul’s Gangnam district. Dubai is a major target. Pony.ai has begun pilot testing in select areas and plans to roll out commercial driverless services in the city’s public transport system by 2026, aiming for 1,000 vehicles by 2028. Strategic partnerships with Uber Technologies UBER in the Middle East underline its global ambitions.
Pony.ai’s focus on fleet expansion, round-the-clock operations, and strategic partnerships bodes well. With commercialization already underway in China and expansion plans across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, the company’s prospects look bright.
Baidu’s Apollo Go ride-hailing service has achieved major milestones. In the second quarter of 2025, Apollo Go provided over 2.2 million fully driverless rides, a 148% increase from the previous year, bringing its cumulative total to over 14 million rides in China by August.
The company is taking its operations global. In July 2025, Baidu partnered with Uber in a multi-year agreement to deploy thousands of autonomous vehicles across Asia and the Middle East. The following month, it reached a similar deal with Lyft to bring its fully driverless cars to major European markets, beginning with Germany and the U.K., with plans to scale further.
Dubai represents a key step. The city granted Baidu the first autonomous driving trial permit and issued 50 test licenses for Apollo Go, enabling a 50-vehicle fleet to start operating in August 2025, with plans to expand to over 1,000 vehicles by 2028. Baidu’s RT6 fleet, powered by its Apollo ADFM large model, reflects years of technology development and rigorous testing. Globally, Apollo Go operates in 16 cities, logging more than 200 million kilometers of safe driving.
In Hong Kong, Apollo Go secured the city’s first autonomous driving test license in November 2024 and expanded open-road testing from the Tung Chung residential area to the Southern District, demonstrating the company’s ability to scale operations safely and efficiently.
Baidu’s strategy combines advanced technology, large-scale operations, and partnerships with established mobility platforms to make autonomous ride-hailing a reality worldwide.
WeRide is making a name for itself with rapid global expansion. In August 2025, Southeast Asia’s superapp Grab GRAB made an investment announcement in WeRide to accelerate the deployment and commercialization of Level 4 robotaxis and shuttles across Southeast Asia. The investment is expected to be finalized by mid-2026.
This week, WeRide announced it will deploy its GXR and Robobus vehicles in Singapore through Ai.R, Grab’s first autonomous ride service for consumers, operated in partnership with WeRide. The company will run an 11-vehicle fleet across two routes in Punggol, marking the city’s first autonomous shuttle service in a residential area.
Beyond Asia, WeRide is expanding rapidly. Its partnership with Uber in Abu Dhabi has already grown its fleet, covering highways, islands and the airport. The company also received the first robotaxi permits in Saudi Arabia and started pilot services in Dubai, with a plan to launch full-scale operations in 2026. In China, WeRide operates Level 4 robotaxis in Shanghai through partnerships with Chery Group and Jinjiang Taxi, linking major transport hubs and cultural landmarks.
Beyond robotaxis, WeRide is deploying autonomous shuttle services worldwide. Its Robobus operates at Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore, Roland-Garros in Paris and in multiple locations across Riyadh, serving as a last-mile transit solution. With approvals in six countries — including Singapore, Saudi Arabia, UAE, China, France and the United States — WeRide is positioning itself as one of the leading names in global autonomous mobility.
Through expanding fleets, strategic partnerships and innovative service models, the company is scaling commercial operations while shaping the future of driverless transport.
China’s autonomous driving industry is fast moving to real-world deployment. Pony.ai, Baidu, and WeRide are leading this shift with growing fleets, advanced technology, and international partnerships. Their efforts are turning robotaxis from a futuristic concept into a global transportation reality.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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