So here's a company that's expanding across continents while its stock price seems to be going in the opposite direction. WeRide Inc. (WRD) announced Thursday it's entering Slovakia through a partnership with ELEVATE Slovakia, launching the country's first autonomous vehicle program. Think of it as planting a flag in new territory—this makes Slovakia the fourth European market for WeRide, after France, Belgium, and Switzerland. The company now has a presence in more than 40 cities across 12 countries globally.
The initiative isn't just a solo mission. It's bringing together government agencies, the City of Bratislava, Slovak Post, and private partners. The goal? To build what they're calling a "regulatory-ready framework" for autonomous mobility. It's the kind of public-private partnership that makes these rollouts possible.
The plan is to start testing in Bratislava in the first half of 2026, before expanding to Košice and the High Tatras. And they're not just testing one thing—deployments will include their full suite of solutions: Robotaxi, Robobus, Robovan, and even Robosweeper. Because why stop at moving people when you can also clean streets autonomously?
"I view the signing of this agreement as the beginning of a process…" said Transport Minister Jozef Ráž. Which is probably the right way to think about it—these things don't happen overnight.
CEO Tony Han said WeRide aims to scale globally, targeting over 2,600 Robotaxis by 2026. That's an ambitious number, especially when you consider the current state of their stock.
Technical Analysis
Let's talk about the stock, because the numbers tell a story of their own. The stock trades 8.8% below its 20-day simple moving average. It's also 25.5% below its 100-day moving average, which generally indicates a bearish trend. Shares have dropped 62.74% over the past 12 months and remain near 52-week lows. That's not exactly the kind of momentum you'd expect from a company that's expanding internationally.
But here's where it gets interesting. The RSI stands at 33.30, which puts it in neutral territory—not oversold, not overbought. And the MACD is at -0.3511, above the signal line at -0.3737. For those who follow these things, that suggests there might be some bullish momentum trying to form. It's like the stock is trying to find its footing while everyone's looking at how far it's fallen.
