WeRide announces strategic cooperation on Robotaxi commercialization with car maker GAC Group and mobility platform ONTIME
WeRide, the global leading Level 4 autonomous driving technology company, announces another significant strategic cooperation with China’s major automobile manufacturer Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC Group) and its subsidiary mobility service platform ONTIME to advance Robotaxi commercialization. Under the cooperation, WeRide is elevating the process of purpose-built vehicle design, research & development (R&D) and mass production of Robotaxis. This strategic trilateral partnership among OEM manufacturer, AI technology and mobility service platform will create a brand-new landscape for the commercialization of WeRide’s Robotaxi.
WeRide and GAC Group have been in cooperation since 2018, together they launched China’s first Robotaxi and started a trial run in Guangzhou. With the commitment from the three parties, this strategic cooperation will elevate their capacity in response to the voluminous potential in smart mobility market. Combining the strength from GAC Group’s A-list vehicle R&D and fully redundant platform, WeRide’s powerful AD solutions and ONTIME’s smart mobility platform, the trio will develop a fleet of top-notch driverless Robotaxis in pursuit of operation and commercialization in the coming years.
Based on GAC AION S model, the latest WeRide Robotaxi is equipped with its most up-to-date Sensor Suite 4.0. This very recent Robotaxi is now integrated into the ONTIME’s ride hailing platform and they are currently conducting testing. WeRide, GAC Group and ONTIME will co-exhibit this Robotaxi and offer test rides to the public at Guangzhou Auto Show, starting November 19.
The trio will continue to strengthen their collaboration and empower mobility with AD technology. By 2022, the cutting-edge Robotaxi service will be available to the public via ONTIME’s platform.
This cooperation is another succesful practice of WeRide’s “triangle model” of collaborating. WeRide will bring leading autonomous driving technology and Robotaxi operation experience to a broader market by teaming up with GAC Group and ONTIME. People will enjoy WeRide’s self-driving technology through more diversified mobility service platforms.
Jiang Hua, CEO of ONTIME expressed that, “ONTIME has been promoting high quality mobility travel services through our innovation and technology. Having the opportunity to be WeRide’s strategic partner, we are proud to integrate WeRide’s leading AD technology into our mobility services. The collaboration will bring forth the Robotaxi service to be first achieved in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) cities, leading the trend in China’s smart mobility and cultivating an all-new experience for the future.
Tony Han, the Founder and CEO of WeRide, said: “After years of hard work on AD technology breakthroughs, product innovation and strategic partnerships, Robotaxi is now the prominant product of WeRide. With the powerful support from GAC Group on fully redundant platform and production line, along with the extensive scale of operations from ONTIME, WeRide will be the pioneer to commercialize Level 4 AD mobility services on a large scale and continue to be the leader in the autonomous driving development.”
Focusing on the collaboration with automobile manufacturers and service platforms, WeRide is now able to offer multiple services in different sectors, ranging from online ride-hailing, on-demand public transportation and urban logistics, fulfilled by the all-rounded product mix of Robotaxi, Mini Robobus and Robovan. The trilateral strategic cooperation with GAC Group and ONTIME will turn a new page on Robotaxi commercialization.
WeRide currently owns a fleet of over 300 autonomous vehicles, through which has accumulated more than 7 million kilometers of AD mileage. Since November 2019, WeRide has launched Robotaxi service to the public in Guangzhou. Through 2 years of operations, covering an area of 144.65 square kilometers, WeRide has become the most experienced technology firm in the area.
About WeRide
WeRide is a global leading company that develops Level 4 autonomous driving technologies, bringing smart cities with new products, new business models and new experiences.
WeRide has received strategic investments from top-tier global automakers, including Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance and Yutong Group. WeRide is the first startup in the world to hold driverless test permits in both China and the US.
Through strategic alliances with car makers, mobility and logistics service platforms, WeRide offers an all-rounded product mix of Robotaxi, Mini Robobus and Robovan to provide multiple services including online ride-hailing, on-demand transport and urban logistics.
WeRide launched China’s first Robotaxi service, completely open to the public, in November 2019, in Guangzhou, China, covering an area of 144 square kilometers. WeRide has also conducted commercial pilot operations and fully driverless testing for Mini Robobus and Robovan.
Established in 2017, WeRide is headquartered in Guangzhou, China, and maintains R&D and operation centers in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Wuhan, Zhengzhou and Anqing, as well as San Jose in the US. It employs a highly skilled team of over 700 employees around the globe and has extensive domestic and international experience in R&D, business development and operations.
For more information, please visit:
Website: www.weride.ai; Medium: https://werideai.medium.com/; twitter/LinkedIn/YouTube: WeRide.ai.
About GAC Group
Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd (GAC Group) is a large state-controlled joint-stock company. Its predecessor, Guangzhou Automobile Group Company was built in June 1997.
GAC Group is the first to be listed both in the A-Share and H-Share markets among all state-owned auto groups. As a large state-owned joint-stock holding company, headquartered in Zhujiang New Town, the CBD of Guangzhou City, GAC Group has 94,000 employees, ranking №176 of The Fortune Global 500(2021).
Long-term independent innovative research and development, gearing up with proven partnership leverage GAC Group being renowned as the most integrated industrial chain in the field, with its core business focusing on the full-line vehicles (automobile and motorcycle), while R&D, components and parts, business services, financial services and mobility services are fully incorporated.
About ONTIME
“ONTIME” is the mobility technology platform launched by GAC Group, with investment from GAC Group, Tencent and other investors. ONTIME has created its unique “Ripple Mode”, that strives to build safe mobility services with quality experiences in the cities. It offers a wide range of app-based services across core cities in the Greater Bay Area, such as Guangzhou, Foshan, Zhuhai, Shenzhen and Dongguan, including ride hailing, hitch, enterprise solution and other forms of shared mobility services.
As the application platform for advanced auto mobility technology, ONTIME will connect automobile and internet technology to complete the intelligence connected ecosystem for shared-mobility fleet. It is believed that with the “Technology Pillar” — driven by Autonomous Driving technology and the “Eco Pillar” — driven by the mobility services ecosystem, ONTIME will ultimately become the leading MaaS platform in the future.
