WeRide, a company based in Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (Beijing E-Town), in collaboration with Renault Group, launched a trial self-driving service of Robobus in the city center of Barcelona, the first publicly road-tested and commercially produced autonomous driving service in Spain.

"This trial operation is another important achievement of our internationalization strategy, demonstrating WeRide's technological leadership in expanding beyond the Asian market to the core market in Europe," said Han Xu, the founder and CEO of WeRide.

With authorization and licensing from the Barcelona City Council and the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) of Spain, the WeRide minibus trial operation service was open to the public from March 10 to 14 from 11:00 to 17:00.

The operational loop exceeded 2 kilometers, with 4 boarding and alighting stations along the route, passing by iconic landmarks such as Casa Batlló and La Pedrera in Barcelona.

The trial operation route of WeRide minibus in the Barcelona city area

This trial operation of WeRide's autonomous driving technology signifies an upgrade in the strategic cooperation between WeRide and Renault Group.

During the 2024 French Open, WeRide collaborated with Renault Group to provide the only on-site L4-level autonomous minibus shuttle service, covering a total mileage of over 1,000 kilometers and serving approximately 700 event attendees.

Han said, "The French Open project validated the feasibility of our vehicles in large-scale event scenarios, and this trial operation in Spain, extending to the city center public transportation sector, will lay the foundation for both parties' 2030 strategic goals."

The WeRide minibus in Barcelona

As a key strategic investor in WeRide, the Renault Group plans to collaborate with WeRide to develop a localized L4-level autonomous minibus tailored to meet the demands of the European market by 2030, addressing the development needs of green public transportation in Europe. The Renault Group predicts that in the coming years, the demand for electric autonomous minibuses in Europe will reach several thousand units.

In 2025, WeRide, with its large-scale autonomous driving fleet and global research and development center established in Beijing E-Town, is accelerating its international strategic layout, with impressive commercial performance in Europe. The trial operation in the city center of Barcelona marks WeRide's fifth project landing in Europe, following its successful ventures at the 2024 French Open, Zurich Airport in Switzerland, the Furttal region in Switzerland and the Drôme in France.