Driverless cars of Pony.ai are displayed at an expo in Shanghai on July 10, 2021. [Photo/VCG]
Chinese autonomous driving startup Pony.ai has revealed ambitious plans for 2025, focused on launching vehicles and scaling its robotaxi operations, which will validate its profitability model.
Zhang Ning, head of the startup's Beijing R&D center, shared the insights during a recent media briefing, emphasizing the company's commitment to innovation, safety and commercial scalability.
Pony.ai, which went public on the Nasdaq in late 2024, will launch its seventh-generation robotaxi vehicles in 2025, marking a milestone in its autonomous vehicle development.
These vehicles, codeveloped with automakers like Toyota, BAIC and GAC, feature fully redundant automotive-grade hardware and advanced AI systems designed for safe, scalable operations.
"By 2025, our seventh-generation vehicles will be deployed at scale, demonstrating that achieving commercial profitability for Level 4 autonomous driving is within reach," Zhang said.
The new robotaxis are designed to operate under commercial conditions for more than 600,000 kilometers, aligning with regulatory standards for commercial fleets in China.
This endurance is critical to Pony.ai's ambition to scale while maintaining safety and reliability in diverse urban environments.
"Safety is our top priority," Zhang emphasized. "These vehicles are designed to withstand over 600,000 kilometers of operation under commercial conditions, meeting the stringent demands of China's regulatory environment for commercial fleet operations".
Zhang also explained that while L2 systems, which are now prevalent in new private vehicles, are designed for incremental convenience, L4 autonomy must be able to handle rare traffic issues with absolute certainty.
Currently operating in Beijing, Shanghai as well as Guangdong province's Guangzhou and Shenzhen, Pony.ai plans to expand its robotaxi services significantly.
The company is targeting key urban and suburban areas. In Beijing, for example, it plans to extend operations from Beijing's Yizhuang area to the entire area between the Fourth and Sixth Ring Roads.
"Local governments are crucial partners in these expansions, as they have provided strong policy support and clear timelines for autonomous driving infrastructure and legislation," Zhang explained.
He praised the collaborative efforts with policymakers, noting that cities like Shenzhen have embraced autonomous driving regulations.
Zhang said Pony.ai is launching its own fleet of 1,000 robotaxis in 2025 to test profitability at scale, adding that they can break even in terms of operations.
He described the initiative as a "proof of concept" for achieving positive margins in the highly competitive robotaxi market.
He said a number of favorable developments are also in place, including government policies and falling hardware costs.
"We are pretty confident that we can achieve large-scale commercial success by 2025 or 2026," Zhang said.
He emphasized that this requires reducing operational costs through optimized logistics, such as fleet maintenance, charging and data-driven route management.
Partnerships also play a crucial role in Pony.ai's commercial ecosystem. The company is collaborating with car-hailing platforms and local taxi operators, seeking to integrate autonomous vehicles into urban mobility networks.
"Autonomous mobility must transcend technology; it needs to be a business," Zhang said. "We are not just proving that robotaxis work — we are proving they work profitably."
