Chinese self-driving mobility company WeRide has acquired self-driving freight startup MoonX for an undisclosed amount, according to an announcement from WeRide on Tuesday.

MoonX founder and CEO Yang Qingxiong will become WeRide's vice president and director of research. A technical team of over 50 of his algorithm and R&D engineers joins WeRide, the announcement said.

Founded in June 2018, MoonX has a fleet of over 20 self-driving passenger cars and trucks and has conducted road tests and trial operations in Shenzhen, Xiamen and Quanzhou, with over 300,000 kilometers of self-driving tests.

It had strategic partnerships with companies including major logistics companies, Xiamen Public Transportation Group and Pagoda on self-driving freight solutions.

WeRide was founded in 2017 and has its global headquarters in Guangzhou. Its team size is over 400 people, more than 85 percent of which are R&D engineers.

It received investment from the alliance of Renault S.A., Nissan and Mitsubishi Group and Zhengzhou Yutong Bus Co. It has L4 autonomous driving technology and holds driverless testing licenses for both China and the United States.

In November 2019, WeRide launched the country's first fully open Robotaxi operation in Guangzhou, covering hundreds of square kilometers of core urban open roads in Huangpu District and Guangzhou Development Zone.

In January, WeRide announced a $310 million Series B financing round strategically led by Yutong Bus, with which it is developing Mini Robobus.

In June, it announced the completion of a $310 million Series C round of funding, with a post-investment valuation of $3.3 billion.

Chinese self-driving startup WeRide closes Series C round, valuing it at $3.3 billion