WeRide has forayed into Slovakia through a strategic partnership with ELEVATE Slovakia to deploy autonomous vehicles.
The move marks WeRide’s fourth European market after France, Belgium and Switzerland, and expands its global footprint to more than 40 cities across 12 countries.
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ELEVATE Slovakia brings together a range of public and private participants, including the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Investments, Regional Development and Informatization, the City of Bratislava, Slovak Post, academic institutions and private companies.
Under the agreement, WeRide will act as the autonomous driving technology provider and plans to deploy its Robotaxi, Robobus, Robovan and Robosweeper products across passenger transport, parcel logistics and municipal sanitation use cases.
Testing will be overseen by the Ministry of Transport to ensure compliance with Slovak and European regulations.
WeRide said the programme represents Europe’s first large-scale, multi-product autonomous vehicle commercial deployment.
The first vehicles are expected to arrive in Slovakia in spring 2026, with trials due to begin in Bratislava in the first half of 2026 before expanding to Košice and the High Tatras.
WeRide founder and CEO Tony Han said:”WeRide’s global expansion is picking up speed as more governments and cities advance large-scale autonomous mobility. With plans for over 2,600 active Robotaxis by the end of 2026 and tens of thousands globally by 2030, Slovakia represents a strategic next step as we extend our global presence to 12 countries.
“By engaging early with governments, we aim to be their go-to partner and set the standards for safe, scalable AV commercialisation.”
Slovak technology company DiusAi has been named as implementation partner, with responsibility for system integration and local operational support.
DiusAi CEO Patrik Tkac said: “We are aware that the path toward autonomous transport requires time, extensive testing, open expert discussion, and gradual adjustments to the legislative framework. This is precisely why we consider the ELEVATE Slovakia initiative to be key.”
Recently, WeRide broadened its partnership with Geely’s commercial vehicle unit, Farizon New Energy Commercial Vehicle Group to speed up robotaxi production worldwide.
The companies also introduced an upgraded, production-ready Robotaxi GXR and said they plan to deliver about 2,000 vehicles by 2026.
