Gasgoo Munich- On August 12, WeRide (NASDAQ: WRD, HKEX: 0800) released its financial report for the second quarter and first half of 2026. For the first half, the company generated revenue of 350 million yuan, a 73% year-on-year increase. Specifically, second-quarter revenue hit 230 million yuan, an 82% jump from last year and a 103% surge from the prior quarter. Gross margin reached 37.5%, up 9.4 percentage points from the same period last year.Image source: WeRideOverseas markets became the primary engine for growth this quarter. WeRide's international revenue surged 154% in the first half. In the second quarter alone, overseas income jumped 164% year-on-year and soared 169% quarter-over-quarter. Currently, the company's autonomous driving operations span 13 countries and more than 60 cities worldwide.Robotaxi services are accelerating their expansion across Europe and the Middle East. WeRide plans to launch commercial Robotaxi services with Uber in Madrid, Spain, and Zurich, Switzerland later this year. The company entered the Danish market in August, with public operations slated to begin in the first half of 2027. In the United Arab Emirates, it has already achieved fully driverless operations in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with a fleet of roughly 400 vehicles in the region.Beyond scaling up, operational efficiency is improving. As of July 31, WeRide's global L4 fleet totaled approximately 3,400 vehicles, with more than 1,800 Robotaxis. Revenue from L4 operations reached 130 million yuan in the second quarter, climbing 47% year-on-year and surging 131% sequentially. In China, daily orders per domestic Robotaxi exceeded 21, up 24% from the previous quarter, peaking at 28. Registered users grew by 35% quarter-over-quarter, while quarterly ride-hailing revenue jumped roughly 140%.Another growth curve is emerging from advanced driver-assistance systems. Revenue from WeRide's L2++/L3 business skyrocketed 2,594% year-over-year and climbed 219% quarter-over-quarter in the second quarter. Shipments of its one-stage end-to-end solution, WRD 3.0, reached approximately 30,000 sets, securing production design wins for over 30 vehicle models.This earnings report suggests WeRide's growth strategy is shifting beyond simply expanding its autonomous fleet. It is now pivoting toward replicating its model overseas, boosting per-vehicle efficiency, and expanding pre-installed mass production business. However, given that autonomous driving remains a capital-intensive phase, whether this growth will ultimately translate into sustainable profitability remains the critical metric to watch.
