Folks, today let's talk about big news on going global—not selling cars, but selling "drivers". On June 2, WeRide and Uber jointly announced a plan: to launch the country's first commercial Robotaxi pilot service in Madrid, Spain. In other words: Spanish residents will soon be able to hail a driverless taxi via Uber. This is the first time WeRide and Uber are partnering to enter the European market. Madrid also becomes the 12th city globally where WeRide's Robotaxi arrives.
According to official news, with the support of the Madrid regional government, this service will officially launch within this year. At that time, friends in Madrid can open the Uber App and call WeRide's Robotaxi with one click. It's just like calling an ordinary ride-hailing service, the difference is the arriving car has no driver—at least initially, there is still a difference. In the initial operation phase, a professionally trained safety monitor will be on board, as it's just launched, safety comes first.
This company, WeRide, you might have heard of it, or you might not. A brief introduction: Established in 2017, it has been dedicated to Robotaxi technology R&D and commercialization. Currently, its Robotaxis cover Guangzhou, Beijing, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Riyadh, Zurich... plus Madrid now, totaling 12 cities. Spain is also the 5th European market WeRide has entered—previously entered Switzerland, France, Belgium, Slovakia. According to the plan agreed by WeRide and Uber in May 2025, they plan to deploy Robotaxi services in 15 new international cities within five years, deploying tens of thousands of Robotaxis globally. With the Madrid launch, the deployment in 4 cities has been completed, and 11 more will be covered successively before 2030.
To be honest, it's not the first time Chinese autonomous driving companies are going global, but the combination of Chinese technology + global mobility platform + European market is quite interesting. Madrid is one of the European Robotaxi markets with the most commercial potential, with a large population, high travel demand, and friendly local policies. Being able to take root in this market is a significant milestone for WeRide. For Uber, introducing Robotaxis is also a way to reduce costs—after all, drivers don't need salaries. For Madrid residents, hailing a taxi might be cheaper in the future.
