Following the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's official announcement of China's first batch of conditional L3 autonomous driving vehicle approvals, the commercialization path for smart driving is becoming clearer. Compared to L3, Robotaxi commercialization has entered an era of "showing strength." Recently, Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis Group disclosed their respective Robotaxi progress; Tesla officially launched fully autonomous Robotaxi testing in Austin; Waymo revealed operational data—since 2025, cumulative trips have exceeded 14 million, more than tripling from 2024, with expectations to surpass 20 million trips by year-end. Meanwhile, PONY-W (02026) announced that its seventh-generation Robotaxi achieved single-vehicle profitability in Guangzhou.
At a media briefing on December 16, Pony AI's co-founder and CFO Wang Haojun reiterated the company's goal of "achieving breakeven before 2030." Beyond setting targets, Wang elaborated on investor concerns regarding financial and technological aspects: "While financial metrics cannot fully reflect technological value, 2030 could indeed be a pivotal year for validating commercialization. Additionally, single-vehicle profitability hinges on balancing cost control and revenue scale. Revenue growth is closely tied to economies of scale—only by reaching a certain operational scale can fixed costs be effectively diluted and vehicle utilization improved, laying the foundation for sustainable profitability."
In fact, Pony AI is already a leader in China's Robotaxi sector. The company plans to launch fully autonomous Robotaxi paid operations in first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, covering over 2,000 square kilometers. By then, Pony AI will have accumulated more than 55 million kilometers of global autonomous driving test mileage. Its seventh-generation Robotaxi models, developed in partnership with BAIC (Alpha T5) and GAC (Aion Tyrannosaurus), began operations in Guangzhou and Shenzhen in November.
As of now, Pony AI's Robotaxi fleet has grown from over 680 vehicles in early 2025 to 961, with plans to exceed 1,000 by year-end and expand to over 3,000 by 2026. Operational efficiency has improved significantly, with average daily revenue per vehicle doubling compared to 2024.
By Q3 2025, Pony AI's financial performance showed positive momentum. Total revenue reached $25.4 million (approx. RMB 181 million), up 72.0% YoY from $14.8 million in 2024, driven by strong growth in autonomous ride-hailing services and technology licensing. Gross margin rose to 18.4%, up from 9.2% YoY, reflecting revenue structure optimization, particularly higher-margin ride-hailing contributions. The seventh-generation Robotaxi achieved city-wide single-vehicle profitability, with ride-hailing revenue surging 89.5% YoY, including a 200%+ increase in passenger fares.
Beyond Robotaxi, Pony AI's autonomous trucking business is accelerating. Its fleet now comprises around 200 trucks, having transported over 10 billion ton-kilometers of cargo while securing China's first autonomous truck road test and freight transport permits. Recently, Pony AI partnered with SANY Heavy Truck and Dongfeng Liuzhou to develop fourth-generation autonomous trucks. The first two models, based on advanced pure-electric platforms, will enter mass production targeting a scale of 1,000 units, with initial operations planned for 2026.
Regarding autonomous trucking commercialization, Wang Haojun emphasized that the current 200-vehicle fleet serves strategic data needs for technological iteration. "We remain a technology provider, not a traditional logistics carrier. Large-scale commercialization will only be considered after 2-3 years of technical validation."
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