When most investors hear the word “robotaxi,” one company typically comes to mind first: Tesla (TSLA).

That makes sense, considering Tesla has long chased autonomous vehicles as a key part of its growth strategy. But thus far, the robotaxi rollout at Tesla has left some investors wanting. While the Austin, Texas launch happened without too much drama, some on Wall Street are looking for Tesla to already have a larger footprint and robotaxis that operate with fewer guardrails.

The thing is, the autonomous driving or “robotaxi” space is now a global one, and there are a number of emerging players in this market that are worth watching. One such company that recently caught my eye is Chinese robotaxi company WeRide (WRD). Let's dive into the recent news around this name, and the stock’s rather bumpy ride of late. 

Why All the Volatility?

WeRide was publicly listed late last year. And since then, the company’s stock price has done what many early stage companies in high-growth industries do… move in wild fashion.

Shares of WRD stock surged following its offering to a high of more than $40 per share in March before falling back below the $10 level. At the time of writing, this is a stock hovering around the $8 mark, making it intriguing for investors who may have been waiting for a better entry point into WeRide. 

WRD has been moving higher over the past month after announcing that it has become the first company to obtain an autonomous logistics vehicles license in Guangzhou, China. The company had already received an initial permit for its Robovan W5 model, but this active road testing permit does appear to put the company on a meaningful pathway to commercialization.

And what’s probably getting lost in the mix, at least for some investors, is who’s behind this project. 

Among the key funders is AI giant Nvidia (NVDA), which stands to benefit not only from selling the hardware and software behind the scenes, but on the ultimate commercialization of this technology. Talk about double-ending your potential winnings.

Of course, WRD stock still has quite a ways to go to provide Nvidia right for making an investment. But investors have good reason to believe that the Jensen Huang-led company made a strategic and smart bet on WeRide. With this in mind, I think investors should monitor shares here to see if WRD is nearing a bottom. 

What Do the Fundamentals Say?

As mentioned, WeRide is still an early stage player in the nascent robotaxi industry. As such, the company’s earnings have been negative over the past three quarters. 

WeRide posted an earnings per share (EPS) loss of $0.18 this past quarter. This is a significant improvement from the $1.24 loss per share just two quarters ago. 

Further, analysts predict a loss of “just” $0.68 per share for the fiscal year, also a positive sign as WeRide was previously losing more than that in an individual quarter. 

It’s really now just a question of how quickly WeRide can ramp up operations, what the uptake will be from Chinese consumers, and whether global investors will put their capital to work in Chinese companies again en masse. However, these are big questions that will not have immediate answers. This will likely contribute to ongoing volatility in WRD shares at least in the short term. 

What Do Analysts Think?

Investors should note that WeRide has limited analyst coverage, with just three analysts rating shares as tracked by Barchart. The good news is that those analysts are all bullish, with two “Strong Buy” ratings and one “Moderate Buy” rating, indicating that WeRide has significant upside from here. 

Furthering that argument is the fact that its consensus price target is $17.67, which implies shares can more than double over the next year. Considering that shares were trading for close to $45 earlier in 2025, I think the $17 level is a reasonable target. 

Even if shares hit the low price target of $13, investors will still see meaningful upside. With a market capitalization of just $2.3 billion and an expected total addressable market in the trillions, WRD shares are worth a closer look here.