Mercedes bets on Wayve as Chinese robotaxis reach Zagreb and Madrid

Autonomous driving in Europe is no longer just a research topic. On 23 September 2026, Mercedes-Benz and the British company Wayve said cars wearing the star will get the Wayve AI Driver automated driving system. Fitting it to series vehicles will take about two years. The assistance features are meant mainly to make city traffic easier to handle. The two companies have worked together for several years. In early 2026, Mercedes took an equity stake in a funding round that raised 1.2 billion dollars for Wayve at a valuation of about 8.6 billion dollars. Wayve already has operating experience: in London, its system drives automated taxis.

The first commercial robotaxis in Europe run on Chinese software

Chinese operators are the ones bringing paid autonomous rides to Europe. Pony AI launched a service in Zagreb on 8 April 2026 with Verne and Uber. The company calls it the first commercial robotaxi service in Europe. Riders can book and pay in the Verne app, and soon in Uber as well. The first zone covers about 90 km² of the wider city centre, including Zagreb Airport. Cars run daily from 7:00 to 21:00. Verne owns the vehicles and runs the local operation. Pony AI supplies the autonomous driving platform. Most tests and rides use BAIC Arcfox Alpha T5 cars with the seventh generation of the Pony AI system. The company wants 3,000 vehicles on the road this year.

Madrid becomes the twelfth city

WeRide, working with Uber, announced its first commercial robotaxi pilot in Madrid on 2 June 2026. Madrid will be the twelfth city worldwide with WeRide operations and the company's fifth European market. In the first phase, trained safety operators will sit behind the wheel. Once WeRide, Uber and their partner Avomo, part of the Moove Cars group, hit key operational targets, they plan to grow the fleet to hundreds of vehicles and go fully driverless in central Madrid. WeRide says its asset-light strategy covers 15 cities by 2030.

European regulators now face two tracks at once. Western premium manufacturers are putting autonomous systems into private cars. Chinese operators are building ride services in cities. Each needs its own legal framework, and both are moving faster than EU-wide rules.