Chinese robotaxi firm WeRide eyes up to $5 billion valuation in US IPO

(Reuters) -China-based autonomous driving startup WeRide said on Friday it was seeking a valuation of as much as $5.02 billion in its initial public offering in the United States.

The IPO announcement comes at a time when the Biden administration is expected to propose barring Chinese software in autonomous vehicles in the United States in the coming weeks.

Self-driving technology remains experimental with robotaxi companies facing technical and regulatory hurdles. China, however, has moved aggressively to green-light trials compared to the United States.

WeRide, known for autonomous taxis, vans, buses and street sweepers, is aiming to raise as much as $119.4 million in the IPO by offering 6.45 million American depositary shares at a price range of $15.50 and $18.50 per share.

Certain investors have also agreed to purchase shares worth $320.5 million in WeRide in a concurrent private placement, subject to the IPO's completion.

Such investors include Alliance Ventures BV — the venture capital fund of the Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance — and JSC International Investment Fund SPC, among others.

German automotive supplier Robert Bosch GmbH has indicated an interest in purchasing WeRide shares worth up to $100 million sold in the IPO.

WeRide, founded in 2017, develops autonomous driving technologies and is testing and conducting commercial pilots in 30 cities across seven countries.

It would be the second major China-based company to seek U.S. listing this year. In May, electric-vehicle maker Zeekr debuted on the New York Stock Exchange and is trading 35.6% below its offer price.

Chinese IPOs in the U.S. had dried up in the past couple of years after ride-hailing giant Didi Global was forced to delist in 2022 following backlash from Chinese regulators.

WeRide reported a net loss of 881.7 million Chinese yuan ($123.04 million) for the six months ended June 30, compared with 723.1 million yuan a year earlier.

Revenue was 150.3 million yuan for the period, compared with 182.9 million yuan a year earlier.

WeRide would list on the Nasdaq under the symbol "WRD".

Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan and China International Capital Corp are lead underwriters for the IPO.

($1 = 7.1660 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Reporting by Arasu Kannagi Basil in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)