RoboSense to Equip 2,000 WeRide Robotaxis
AI robotics company RoboSense announced its high-end LiDAR sensors have been selected for WeRide's next-generation Robotaxi GXR. The deal includes an initial plan for 2,000 factory-installed units slated for global deployment. This marks a significant production-scale adoption of advanced LiDAR for autonomous vehicles.
This partnership builds on a previous strategic agreement from June 2022, aimed at accelerating the mass production and commercial use of autonomous driving technologies by combining RoboSense's LiDAR with WeRide's algorithms. Tony Han is the founder and CEO of WeRide, while Chunchao Qiu is the co-founder and executive president of RoboSense. WeRide, founded in 2017, reached a valuation of $5.1 billion by late 2022 and subsequently listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker WRD. The company has raised over $1 billion in funding across multiple rounds, with backers including Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, Bosch, GAC Group, and The Carlyle Group. RoboSense went public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (2498.HK) in January 2024, raising approximately HK$985 million ($126 million) at a market capitalization of around $2.5 billion. Its investors include prominent names like Alibaba, Cainiao, Xiaomi, and BAIC Group. The WeRide GXR Robotaxi is a purpose-built, L4-capable vehicle featuring a spacious interior with no front passenger seat and a hidden B-pillar for wider entry. It is the first robotaxi to be powered by NVIDIA's DRIVE Thor X chip and utilizes WeRide's own Sensor Suite 5.6, which includes over 20 sensors. WeRide has active robotaxi operations in several cities, including Beijing and Guangzhou in China, as well as Abu Dhabi in the UAE. The company has a partnership with Uber in the UAE and plans to expand its fully unmanned commercial services in the region and other global locations. The deal comes as the global automotive LiDAR market is rapidly expanding, valued at over $2 billion in 2026 and projected to grow at a CAGR of over 18%. The push for Level 3 and higher autonomy is driving the adoption of advanced sensors, with the solid-state LiDAR segment holding the largest market share. RoboSense is a key player in this market, holding a 33.5% share of global automotive LiDAR installations in 2024. The company operates a highly automated manufacturing base with a 95% automation rate to support large-scale production for its more than 250 automotive OEM and Tier 1 supplier clients.
