ANALYSIS Chinese autonomous driving technology is entering Europe along two distinct but converging tracks — consumer-car intelligent driving and robotaxi services — creating a new competitive front that will test both Chinese companies' adaptability and Europe's evolving regulatory framework.
Why it matters
The UN World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations reviewed and adopted the R171 Series 02 amendment on June 24, and under the new regulatory arrangement, certified intelligent driving systems can now be used on urban roads1. Europe did not officially open access for urban NOA until this year. ◆ That rule change has turned Europe from a largely closed market into an open contest for Chinese AD suppliers and robotaxi operators simultaneously.
The big picture
On the consumer-vehicle side, XPeng, Momenta, and Horizon Robotics converged on Munich this summer for what amounted to a live audition. Auto Industry Journal tested a Momenta test vehicle equipped with the R7 world model in Munich, Germany. The Momenta test vehicle completed following the vehicle ahead, turning, passing through unprotected intersections, and detouring smoothly in Europe. All three companies are following a similar direction by using a unified base model and doing post-training and safety adaptation with local data.
The robotaxi lane is moving even faster. WeRide formed a strategic partnership with Danish shared electric mobility provider GreenMobility on August 3, with the partners aiming to launch a public robotaxi service in Denmark in the first half of 2027, subject to regulatory approvals2. Denmark is WeRide's first Nordic market and its sixth in Europe. In Zagreb, Croatia, Pony.ai is providing autonomous driving technology for a robotaxi service operated by Verne, which opened to the public in April. Pony.ai announced in June that it was preparing an autonomous mobility pilot in Luxembourg with Bolt and Stellantis. And Baidu's Apollo Go and Freenow by Lyft began testing sixth-generation RT6 autonomous vehicles in London on July 28.
ANALYSIS The breadth is striking: WeRide in Denmark, Pony.ai in Croatia and Luxembourg, Baidu in London — each pairing Chinese AD technology with a different local fleet or platform partner.
Between the lines
The technology is not flawless on European roads. XPeng's test car blocked a reversing vehicle's route on a narrow road, forcing the other vehicle to drive forward and leave. Momenta's system forced its way into an adjacent lane even when there was a vehicle going straight in that lane. In another instance, the system hesitated when two intersections were only more than ten meters apart and two sets of traffic lights appeared in view at the same time. ◆ These edge cases underscore exactly why local data adaptation matters — European road geometry and traffic norms differ from the Chinese environments where these stacks were trained.
Ron Zheng, a senior partner at Roland Berger and head of its automotive practice in Asia, said Chinese autonomous driving companies need to adapt their algorithms using local data because European traffic rules, road signs, and mixed-traffic conditions differ markedly from those in China. He added that their long-term prospects will depend on how quickly they meet local regulatory requirements and build stable partnerships with European companies.
The regulatory runway is widening. In June, 18 EU member states signed a joint declaration of intent to establish large-scale cross-border test beds for autonomous vehicles. The EU initiative covers autonomous vehicle use cases in public transport, freight, and logistics, and participating countries will work on common approval principles and coordinated permitting procedures to aid large-scale testing and future commercial deployment. ANALYSIS Cross-border test beds could give Chinese entrants a scaling mechanism that country-by-country permitting would not — provided they secure early positions in participating states.
The partnership structures reveal a deliberate pattern. In Zagreb, Verne said in April that rides would later be available through Uber's app. In Luxembourg, Pony.ai will provide the autonomous driving technology, Bolt will contribute ride-hailing platform experience, and Stellantis will provide a midsize van and vehicle engineering and manufacturing expertise. The initial London tests for Baidu are being conducted with safety operators on board in the London borough of Brent. ◆ In every case, the Chinese company supplies the AD stack while a European or global partner owns the customer relationship and regulatory interface — a consistent division of labor across all the announced deployments.
The consumer-car market provides commercial context. In 2025, Chinese automakers achieved total annual new car sales of 811,000 units in Europe, with their market share jumping to 6.1%. Last May, the monthly sales of Chinese automakers in Europe overtook Japanese brands for the first time. ◆ Intelligent driving features could become a differentiator that reinforces that sales trajectory — or a new friction point if European regulators or incumbents push back.
What's next
WeRide and GreenMobility target a public robotaxi launch in Denmark in the first half of 2027. Baidu and Freenow plan to offer rides to the public in 2027, subject to regulatory approval. ◆ The next twelve months will reveal whether the R171 amendment and the 18-state cross-border framework translate into actual commercial permits — or whether the gap between testing and deployment remains wide.