In autonomous and self-driving vehicle news are WeRide, Grab, Baidu Apollo, Lucid, Nuro, Pony.ai, TIER IV and Elm.
In this Article
WeRide & Grab Autonomous Shuttles in Punggol
WeRide announced the deployment of its GXRs and Robobus vehicles in Singapore under Ai.R, Grab’s first consumer-facing autonomous vehicle service. Selected by the Land Transport Authority, Ai.R will operate in the Punggol neighborhood with two designated routes and a fleet of 11 vehicles, making it the only AV service in the area with dual-route approval.
The WeRide vehicles, certified under Singapore’s Milestone 1 safety assessment, will begin with a route familiarization phase before opening to passengers in early 2026. Each shuttle will initially have a trained Grab Safety Operator onboard, with more than 10 Grab driver-partners undergoing specialized AV training.
Equipped with advanced cameras and LiDAR systems providing 360-degree vision, Ai.R vehicles are designed to navigate Singapore’s urban conditions safely and courteously. Leaders from WeRide, Grab, and Singapore’s government emphasized the program’s role in improving neighborhood connectivity and shaping the future of urban mobility.
WeRide Wins Dubai Robotaxi Permit & Top Prize
WeRide has received a trial permit from Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority to begin Robotaxi operations, marking Dubai as the 11th city worldwide and the second in the UAE to deploy its autonomous fleet. The company launched its service with 50 Robotaxi GXRs in key districts such as Jumeirah, Za’abeel First, and Umm Suqeim, with plans to expand to Dubai International Airport and Sheikh Zayed Road. WeRide also took first place at the Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport, earning nearly $1 million in prize money, as Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum recognized the company’s contributions to advancing Dubai’s smart mobility vision.
WeRide on Fortune’s 2025 Change
WeRide has been recognized on Fortune’s 2025 Change the World list, the only autonomous vehicle technology company to be included. Marking its second appearance after debuting at No. 8 in 2023, WeRide was honored for its role in tackling global urban mobility challenges with safer, smarter, and greener transportation solutions. As the first publicly traded Robotaxi company, WeRide has tested or operated in over 30 cities across 11 countries, achieving more than 2,200 days of safe autonomous operations. The recognition highlights the company’s impact in reducing human error in traffic accidents, easing congestion, addressing driver shortages, and supporting sustainable mobility worldwide.
Baidu Apollo Gets Dubai’s Autonomous Driving Trial Permit
Baidu’s autonomous ride-hailing platform Apollo Go has received Dubai’s first-ever autonomous driving trial permit and 50 test licenses from the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), authorizing deployment of its sixth-generation RT6 vehicles on urban roads. The fleet began open-road trials in August and was showcased at the 4th Dubai World Congress for Self-Driving Transport, where Apollo Go is the sole platform allowed to operate self-driving trials. The initiative builds on a March partnership with the RTA and aims to expand to over 1,000 driverless vehicles by 2028, supporting Dubai’s vision for intelligent mobility. This milestone follows Apollo Go’s 2024 test license in Hong Kong and adds to its track record of 200 million kilometers driven and 14 million rides delivered, reinforcing its global leadership in autonomous ride-hailing.
Lucid Delivers First Gravity SUV to Nuro
Lucid has delivered its first Gravity SUV to Nuro for retrofitting, marking the initial step in a deal with Uber and Nuro to deploy at least 20,000 autonomous vehicles across the U.S. over the next six years. Built at Lucid’s Arizona plant and outfitted with sensors at its California headquarters, the prototype is now at Nuro’s Santa Clara facility for integration of the Nuro Driver software and testing. While the first road-ready robotaxi is expected to launch on Uber’s network next year, the project faces the challenge of scaling — a hurdle that has stalled many earlier promises in the autonomous vehicle industry, where even leaders like Waymo and Tesla operate only limited fleets today.
Pony.ai Expands to Dubai & Singapore
Pony.ai has secured a permit from Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority to begin autonomous driving trials, with plans to launch fully driverless commercial robotaxi services in the emirate by 2026. The approval, shared with Baidu’s Apollo Go and WeRide, marks Dubai’s first wave of on-road autonomous driving permits. In parallel, Pony.ai announced its entry into the Singapore market through a partnership with ComfortDelGro to deploy self-driving vehicles, signaling the company’s accelerating push to expand beyond its Chinese operations into key international markets.
TIER IV and Elm in Saudi Arabia
TIER IV has signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia’s Elm to accelerate the development of sovereign autonomous mobility solutions and cultivate local engineering talent. The collaboration will combine Elm’s expertise in smart mobility and TIER IV’s open-source Autoware platform to support initiatives such as robotaxi services, academic training programs, and autonomous driving competitions tailored to Saudi needs. Backed by broader cooperation between Japan and Saudi Arabia, the partnership aligns with Saudi Vision 2030, which targets 15% autonomous public transportation by the end of the decade, positioning the Kingdom as a leader in the global autonomous mobility industry.