What is the firm doing right in China that other players worldwide can emulate and build on?
In the area of autonomous driving technology development, one firm in Beijing has received approval to deploy its robo-taxi for fully unmanned, paid ride-hailing services in the city.
This was announced on 24 February, 2025 when the firm’s GXR model — the second since an initial rollout in June 2023 within the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area — was granted official approvals.
This newer robo-taxi, launched on 15 October last year, has been adapted for commercial use in just over four months. Built on over five years of development, it features an L4-level autonomous system with a redundant drive-by-wire chassis, designed for safety and reliability on public roads. The vehicle accommodates five passengers, with a layout optimized for multi-person trips, such as airport transfers, offering ample entry, seating, and luggage space. Users access the service via WeRide Go mobile app that streamlines the ride-hailing process.
According to Dr Tony Han, CEO, WeRide, the firm running the robo-taxi service, advancing from product launch to unmanned commercial operations in just four months “demonstrates that autonomous technology is ready to meet various transportation needs at scale,” adding that the self-driving technology could expanded to global markets for daily commuter use. The production model uses over 20 sensors, including high-performance LiDAR, high-definition cameras, and a high-precision Real Time Kinermatic inertial navigation set, with 360-degree blind-spot-free perception and 200-meter frontal detection.
The firm already operates robo-taxi services in cities such as Guangzhou, Nanjing, and Abu Dhabi, and plans to expand its business to Zurich by mid-2025. Plans are afoot to scale the GXR fleet in Beijing to several hundred vehicles by year-end to showcase how autonomous taxis can enhance transport efficiency, reduce reliance on human drivers safely, and potentially cut operational costs and emissions, while addressing urban congestion challenges through smart routing — a major economic strategy for China, as explained by the MIT Technology Review. In Singapore’s Sentosa resort island, the firm was featured in DigiconAsia.net for its L4 autonomous short-haul robo-bus operations.
