A WeRide test vehicle was involved in an accident during a smart mobility exhibition in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, just days after the Chinese startup obtained the world’s first city-level permit to operate driverless robotaxis outside the US.
The incident occurred during DRIFTx, Abu Dhabi’s autonomous mobility showcase at Yas Marina Circuit that ran from November 10-12.
The incident occurred at 4:10 p.m. local time on the eastern entrance to the Al Raha area when a 1996 Mitsubishi Canter failed to maintain its lane and collided with the WeRide vehicle, according to the report from Saaed for Traffic Systems, Abu Dhabi police’s accident reporting system.
Police determined the Mitsubishi driver was at fault for “disregarding the road line,” according to the report classification obtained by EV.
No injuries were reported in the collision, which involved damage to multiple panels on both vehicles.
WeRide approached EV to clarify that the human operated vehicle was “fully at fault for the incident.”
“WeRide is aware of an incident on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, involving our testing AV and a human-operated vehicle,” the company said in a stetement sent to EV.
“According to the police report, the incident happened when the human-operated vehicle merged into the lane occupied by our AV without signaling. No injuries were reported, and the human-operated vehicle was fully at fault for the incident,” it added.
WeRide’s Approval in the UAE
The accident comes at a sensitive moment for WeRide, which received approval from the United Arab Emirates federal government last week to operate commercial robotaxi services in Abu Dhabi without safety drivers.
The permit authorizes Level 4 autonomous operations, meaning vehicles can handle all driving tasks in specific conditions without human intervention.
As of October, WeRide’s robotaxi fleet in Abu Dhabi had logged nearly one million kilometers of operation. The company has partnered with local firm TXAI to conduct public robotaxi services in the emirate since 2021.
Expansion Push
WeRide has been rapidly expanding its Middle East presence.
In December 2024, the company launched a robotaxi partnership with Uber in Abu Dhabi, creating what it called the largest commercial autonomous fleet outside China and the US.
In July, the service area expanded to cover nearly half of Abu Dhabi’s core urban districts, including Al Reem Island and Al Maryah Island.
WeRide plans to extend operations to most of the capital’s central zones — including Khalifa City, Masdar City and downtown Abu Dhabi — by year-end.
The company also announced Wednesday that Singapore’s Land Transport Authority approved testing of its entire Ai.R fleet in the Punggol district.
WeRide began initial autonomous vehicle testing there in mid-October and expects testing volume to quadruple by the end of 2025 as it prepares the vehicles for passenger service.
