BEIJING, March 5 (Reuters) – Chinese autonomous delivery vehicle maker Neolix has suspended daily operations of its driverless vehicles in Abu Dhabi, the company said on Thursday, as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been roiled by the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.
Iran launched a wave of missiles at Israel early on Thursday, sending millions of residents into bomb shelters as the war entered its sixth day, and just hours after moves to halt the U.S. air assault were blocked in Washington.
“At present, autonomous delivery operations in the city have been temporarily suspended,” Neolix said in a statement to Reuters.
“We will strictly follow the unified arrangements and requirements of the local authorities, and will always place personnel and operational safety as the top priority.”
The company will remain in “close, around-the-clock” communication with local regulators and partners, and will resume and expand operations as soon as conditions allow, it said.
Chinese autonomous driving firms are monitoring the situation as the escalating conflict has unsettled key Middle Eastern hubs.
WeRide has suspended its robotaxi fleet in Dubai, while Pony.ai had suspended its on-road testing activities in Doha and Dubai before resuming testing in Doha on Monday.
(Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Nivedita Bhattacharjee)
