China’s Neolix Raises Nearly $400M Series E to Take Robovans Global

Neolix, a Chinese maker of driverless delivery vans, has pulled in close to $400 million in fresh funding as it gets ready to sell its vehicles well beyond China. The Series E round was announced on 20 October 2026.

Who is paying

Boyu Capital co-led the deal with a national-level fund. Chinese outlet Jiemian, citing people familiar with the matter, named that fund as the National Artificial Intelligence Industry Investment Fund. Alibaba’s AEF NextGen Hong Kong fund joined too, as did Vertex Growth and GAC Capital, the investment arm of carmaker GAC Group.

This is the second very large cheque in two years. Neolix raised more than $600 million in a Series D last year and has now raised over RMB 10 billion in total.

What the money is for

Neolix’s robovans run on public roads, carrying parcels and goods over the last mile and on short urban hauls. That is work where labour costs and driver shortages push logistics firms and retailers toward automation.

The company says two things will get most of the new money. One is a global network to operate its vans and look after customers abroad. The other is data collection and training for end-to-end autonomous driving models, which it expects to make the vans safer and more capable while cutting what they cost to run over their lifetime.

Key facts: Neolix funding

• Amount: nearly $400 million, Series E
• Co-leads: Boyu Capital and a national-level fund
• Other investors: Alibaba’s AEF NextGen Hong Kong fund, Vertex Growth, GAC Capital
• Previous round: Series D of more than $600 million
• Total raised: more than RMB 10 billion

Why it matters

Support from a state AI fund suggests Beijing treats driverless logistics as a strategic sector. And the overseas push means Chinese robovan makers will increasingly be chasing customers outside their home market, not just in it.

Photo: Markus Spiske / Unsplash