WeRide climbs after securing Saudi Arabia’s first robotaxi permit
Saudi Arabia handed its first robotaxi permit to Chinese self-driving car company WeRide on Monday, sending shares of the company climbing in early trading.
WeRide said it expects to launch nationwide robotaxi service, in partnership with Uber, by the end of the year. The company now holds autonomous driving permits in six countries, including China, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, France, and the US.
WeRide saw explosive momentum in February after Nvidia disclosed a roughly $25 million stake in the company, sending the self-driving company surging up to one-sixteenth of the valuation of Uber at the time. Prior to Monday’s market open, WeRide was down more than 75% from its 52-week high.