Morgan Stanley released a research report indicating that China's autonomous taxi fleet scale and operational areas continue to expand. Meanwhile, the global autonomous taxi competition has entered a new phase, serving as a powerful catalyst driving China's development toward L4+ autonomous driving capabilities. Morgan Stanley believes that L3 autonomous driving is poised to become a critical battleground, while L4 and autonomous taxis are not beyond reach. The firm projects that by 2030, L4+ autonomous taxis will account for 8% of China's total taxi or ride-sharing fleet.

The firm believes that in the current industry competition, leading hardware manufacturers with scalable product sales capabilities, such as HORIZONROBOT-W (09660) and HESAI-W (02525), will benefit from accelerated configuration upgrades. Meanwhile, autonomous taxi manufacturers like WeRide are expanding into emerging international markets.