WeRide Reveals All-New Self-Driving Taxi; Most Spacious Yet

Chinese company WeRide has unveiled what it claims is the world’s most spacious self-driving taxi yet.

The reveal was strategically announced just days after Tesla showed off its own vision of a future robotaxi, generating plenty of attention – if not not much in the way of credibility – for the world of autonomous vehicles.  

And the new GXR shows just how far Elon Musk’s company is lagging behind the current self-driving taxi big players – a point not lost on the Guangzhou company, which is highlighting its experience in the field by promoting its new minivan as “leveraging over 1,800 days in operations.”

The self-driving taxi’s credentials are bolstered by the fact that it is based on a vehicle already on the market – the Supervan sold by Chinese brand Farizon, which is owned by Geely, the Guangzhou giant that also has Volvo and Polestar in its stable. Among the Supervan’s highlights are innovative steer-by-wire tech and a swappable large capacity battery pack.

According to a statement released to announce the new self-driving taxi: “The GXR integrates WeRide’s self-developed Level 4 autonomous driving hardwares and softwares, open-concept spacious designs, the new Sensor Suite 5.6, and the HPC 2.0 high-performance computing platform.” This package, WeRide claims, allows it to easily handle peak traffic and also high-speed driving at night.

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There are more than 20 sensors in total, including Lidars and high-definition cameras, plus high-precision inertial navigation, endowing the CXR with 360-degree perception and 656-foot front detection.

There’s also a comprehensive redundancy package, covering the architecture, computing units, braking systems and more, to ensure safety.

Generous dimensions of 16 feet in length and an interior height of 4.3 feet back up the claims of spaciousness, while access is easy due to the innovative “hidden B-pillar” design, which allows the front door and sliding side door to open at the same time. This creates an opening that is 6 feet wide and 4.2 feet high.

And once on board, occupants will be pleased to find a designated carry-on luggage area, which can accommodate one backpack and one 22-inch suitcase.

There’s no word yet on when the GXR will start service, but when it does, customers will be able to do so via the company’s WeRide Go app.

WeRide has established itself as one of the world’s leading self-driving taxi companies, looking beyond its core operations in China to other markets, including the Middle East, where in 2023 it received approval to test across the entire United Arab Emirates. 

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Although based in China, the company wants to go public in the United States, but its planned IPO has been delayed. It seems unlikely the GXR will ever make it to America, though, given the recent move from President Biden to ban sales or imports of vehicles with connected or autonomous tech developed in China.