WeRide Inc. and Uber Technologies announced a joint expansion that will deploy 1,200 autonomous robotaxis across Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Riyadh, with a target completion date of 2027. The fleet increase builds on WeRide’s existing fully driverless operations in Abu Dhabi and extends the service to the region’s two largest cities in the United Arab Emirates and the capital of Saudi Arabia.
The expansion follows WeRide’s 2025 operational profitability in the Middle East, where the company’s asset‑light model—leveraging local partners for fleet operations while providing the autonomous driving platform—has delivered a 144% year‑over‑year revenue jump to 171 million RMB. The company’s gross margin of just over 30% in Q3 2025 is expected to improve as scale drives cost efficiencies, even as earnings have declined at an average annual rate of 23% due to heavy investment in fleet expansion.
Uber’s involvement underscores the strategic importance of the Middle East for autonomous mobility. Dubai’s 25% autonomous‑trip target by 2030 and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 program have created a regulatory environment that encourages real‑world testing. Uber’s global head of autonomous mobility noted that the partnership “is a testament to the strong performance of our existing deployments together, and we look forward to building on that momentum as we introduce more riders to autonomous mobility.”
The expansion comes in the wake of Uber’s Q4 2025 earnings, released February 4 2026, which saw revenue of $14.4 billion—slightly above the $14.32 billion forecast—while EPS of $0.71 missed the $0.80 estimate. The miss was driven by higher operating expenses, including a significant charge related to equity investments, and a shift toward more affordable rides that increased trip volume but compressed margins. WeRide’s Q3 2025 revenue growth, driven by fleet expansion, contrasts with its declining earnings, highlighting the company’s focus on scaling at the expense of short‑term profitability.
Management comments emphasize the long‑term vision: Dr. Tony Han, WeRide’s founder and CEO, said the announcement “marks the largest robotaxi commercial commitment in the MENA region and accelerates our regional expansion as part of our goal to deploy tens of thousands of vehicles globally by 2030.” Uber’s leadership highlighted the partnership as a key step toward its broader autonomous‑mobility strategy, noting that the Middle East offers a unique blend of regulatory openness and government support that positions the company for future growth.
Market analysts have noted that while Uber’s recent earnings raised concerns about margin pressure, the new robotaxi expansion signals confidence in the company’s autonomous strategy. Investors are watching how the partnership will translate into revenue growth and margin improvement, given the region’s supportive regulatory framework and the potential for high utilization rates in the three target cities.
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