文远知行（WeRide），一家中国领先的自动驾驶技术公司，近日宣布计划在美国进行首次公开募股（IPO），估值预计将超过50亿美元。这家由留美博士联合创办的公司，自2017年成立以来，一直致力于自动驾驶技术的研发和应用，并在全球多个城市进行了测试和商业部署。
文远知行的联合创始人兼CEO韩旭曾是百度自动驾驶事业部首席科学家，而CTO李岩则拥有卡内基梅隆大学博士学位，曾在Facebook和微软等知名企业担任核心工程师。公司的早期投资人还包括前微软全球执行副总裁沈向洋，显示了公司强大的技术背景和业界影响力。
根据美国证券交易委员会（SEC）的文件显示，文远知行计划发行645万股美国存托股票（ADS），每股发行价区间为15.50至18.50美元，预计募资额可达1.194亿美元。此外，公司还计划在私募中筹集3.205亿美元，其中雷诺日产三菱联盟的风险投资部门已同意购买9700万美元的股票。
尽管文远知行在自动驾驶技术研发上投入巨大，但公司近三年累计亏损51亿元。2021年至2023年，公司分别亏损10.073亿元、12.985亿元和19.491亿元。截至2023年6月30日和2024年6月30日的六个月内，公司亏损额分别为7.231亿元和8.817亿元。
尽管面临亏损，文远知行依然在商业化进程中取得了一定的成绩。公司主要收入来源包括L4级别自动驾驶汽车的销售和提供L4自动驾驶及ADAS服务。文远知行已经在国内外多个城市获得自动驾驶汽车运营许可，并计划将先进的驾驶辅助系统出售给原始设备制造商（OEM）。
此次赴美IPO，文远知行有望通过资本市场获得更多资金，加速自动驾驶技术的研发和商业化进程，推动公司在全球自动驾驶市场的竞争中占据有利位置。
英语如下：
Title: “WeRide, a Leading Chinese Autonomous Technology Company, Plans U.S. IPO Despite 5.1 Billion Yuan in Losses, Valuation Expected to Exceed 36 Billion Yuan”
Keywords: Losses, IPO, Valuation
Content: WeRide, a leading Chinese autonomous technology company, recently announced its plan to conduct an initial public offering (IPO) in the United States, with a valuation expected to exceed $500 million. Founded in 2017 by a group of American-educated PhDs, the company has been dedicated to the research and application of autonomous technology, conducting tests and commercial deployments in multiple cities around the world.
WeRide’s co-founder and CEO, Han Xu, formerly served as the chief scientist of Baidu’s autonomous driving division, while CTO Li Yan holds a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University and has served as a key engineer at well-known companies such as Facebook and Microsoft. The company’s early investors include former Microsoft Global Executive Vice President Shen Xiaoyong, indicating its strong technological background and industry influence.
According to filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), WeRide plans to issue 6.45 million American Depository Shares (ADS) at an offering price range of $15.50 to $18.50 per share, with an expected fundraising amount of up to $194 million. Additionally, the company plans to raise $320.5 million in private placements, with the Alliance’s venture capital arm of Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi agreeing to purchase $97 million worth of stock.
Despite the significant investment in autonomous technology research and development, WeRide has accumulated a loss of 5.1 billion yuan over the past three years. The company has reported losses of 1.007 billion yuan, 1.2985 billion yuan, and 1.9491 billion yuan in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively. During the six months ended June 30, 2023, and June 30, 2024, the company’s losses were 723.1 million yuan and 881.7 million yuan, respectively.
Despite the losses, WeRide has made some progress in its commercialization efforts. The company’s main sources of revenue include sales of L4-level autonomous vehicles and provision of L4 autonomous driving and ADAS services. WeRide has obtained operating licenses for autonomous vehicles in multiple cities both domestically and internationally and plans to sell advanced driver assistance systems to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
Going public in the U.S. through an IPO, WeRide aims to secure more funding through the capital market to accelerate the development and commercialization of autonomous technology and position itself favorably in the global autonomous vehicle market.
【来源】https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/elXxE3rQL3MiOIpq3Q_5nw
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