While in the West names like Waymo or Cruise dominate conversations about autonomous vehicles, a silent giant is expanding rapidly in the East: WeRide. This company, although less known to Western audiences, is at the forefront of autonomous driving development, operating in 30 cities in 7 countries and offering a diverse range of autonomous vehicles, from taxis to minibuses and delivery vans.
Recently, WeRide has announced the expansion of its fleet of autonomous taxis in Beijing with its GWR model, a sleek vehicle designed for urban mobility. The company expects to have hundreds of these taxis circulating on the streets of the Chinese capital throughout 2025. Seeing these vehicles in action is a reminder of the rapid evolution of autonomous technology, and of China's growing role in this field.
A concrete example of WeRide's global expansion is its presence in Switzerland, where it operates an autonomous minibus service that connects to Zurich Airport. In addition, the company plans to launch an autonomous taxi service in the city in the near future. This international expansion strategy demonstrates WeRide's ambition to compete globally with the Western giants of the industry.
WeRide's website https://www.weride.ai/ offers a fascinating insight into the scope of its operations and the technology they are developing. A quick look at their website reveals a company that competes directly with companies like Waymo, developing not only autonomous driving software, but also hardware and fleet management platforms.
A video can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/EVet3YgF9TA
Admittedly, promotional videos should be taken with a grain of salt. However, even with this in mind, WeRide's progress is undeniable. Its rapid expansion and the sophistication of its technology is forcing us to rethink our perceptions of the autonomous driving landscape.
One of the most striking aspects of WeRide’s story is its ability to compete on par with Western companies with much more media visibility. This highlights China’s growing technological capability and strategic investment in research and development.
China’s rise in the technology field is no coincidence. The country has made massive investments in R&D over the past few decades, and the results are evident. A clear indicator of this progress is China’s leadership in the number of patents filed.
Just ten years ago, China ranked fifth on the list of countries with the most patents filed. Today, it is in first place, surpassing the United States, Japan, South Korea and Germany. This radical change illustrates China’s commitment to innovation and its commitment to technological development.
While patent volume is not everything, and the quality of Chinese patents has been debated – many are classified as “utility” patents and do not necessarily represent radical innovations – the simple fact that they lead the world in patent numbers is an important indicator of China’s dynamism and ambition in the technological field. In contrast, patents filed in the United States are often considered to be of higher quality, representing more disruptive innovations.
However, China’s meteoric rise in the patent rankings, from fifth to first place in just a decade, is an undeniable fact. This exponential growth is not the result of chance, but of a long-term strategy that has prioritized investment in R&D and the promotion of innovation. The story of WeRide is a perfect example of this strategy in action.
The rise of companies like WeRide reminds us of the importance of looking beyond Silicon Valley and recognizing the dynamism of technology markets in other parts of the world. Competition in the field of autonomous driving is intensifying, and the future of mobility is being written not only in the West, but also in the East.
Because, my dear friends, data is what it is, and nothing happens by chance. And every day more new products will come from Asia with technologies developed by them.
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