China's WeRide enters Denmark, extending European footprint

BEIJING, August 3 (Reuters) - Chinese autonomous driving technology company WeRide said on Monday it would enter Denmark through a partnership with Danish electric mobility operator GreenMobility, extending its European footprint to a sixth country as Chinese self-driving firms accelerate overseas expansion.

Europe has emerged as a key growth market for China's autonomous driving companies, following an earlier push into the Gulf region, as they seek to commercialise their technology beyond their home market amid intensifying competition and regulatory scrutiny.

Under the partnership subject to regulatory approvals, WeRide and GreenMobility plan to launch a public robotaxi service in the first half of 2027, according to a company statement.

The move follows WeRide's expansion into Spain and Slovakia earlier this year, adding to autonomous driving deployments in France, Belgium and Switzerland. While the company's European activities are currently focused on testing and pilot programmes, it already operates commercial autonomous driving services in China and the United Arab Emirates.

Chinese autonomous driving firms have increasingly turned to Europe in recent months as they look to build an international presence. 

Rival Pony.ai said in March it would partner with Uber Technologies and Croatian autonomous mobility startup Verne to launch what the companies described as Europe's first commercial robotaxi service.

Baidu's Apollo Go unit and Lyft-owned taxi application Freenow began road tests in London in late July, while Momenta has recently secured permits to conduct autonomous driving tests on urban roads across Germany.

The flurry of activity underscores growing competition among Chinese autonomous driving developers to establish an early foothold in Europe, where regulators have gradually opened the door to testing and deployment of self-driving vehicles.

(Reporting by Qiaoyi Li and Kevin Krolicki; Editing by Stephen Coates)