Pony.AI Has Plans For 4,000 Robotaxis Outside China

Chinese self-driving company Pony.ai’s push into international markets is gaining momentum quickly, with plans to deploy more than 4,000 robotaxis outside China.The company gave an update on its progress during its Q2 earnings call on Tuesday.“We have secured multiple joint deployment model partners across overseas markets, including Uber for the contracted deployment of more than 2,000 robotaxis in Europe, bringing the total number of vehicles under agreements in negotiation across international markets to over 4,000 robotaxi vehicles,” the vendor said in a release.However, the company gave no timeline for deploying the vehicles.At the heart of Pony.ai’s plans for Europe lies the previously revealed deal with Uber and Croatia’s Verne to launch a commercial service in Zagreb, Croatia, as well as four other cities in Europe. The vendor is also assessing markets in the Middle East.The company is also testing with automobile multinationals Stellantis and Bolt in Luxembourg, while in Asia, it has launched a commercial service in Singapore with a local partner.Related:How Enterprises Can Catch Up With the Rapid Pace of AI AdvancesGlobally, by the end of Q2, Pony.ai said it had 1,975 robotaxis in operation, with a target of 3,500 set for the end of the year.Pony.ai’s confidence that it can expand on a worldwide scale is based on its success in China, where it is operating fully paid, driverless services in four cities.The company’s progress this year includes an extension of its operating area in Guangzhou by 115 square miles and expanded coverage in Shenzhen, which now includes the international airport and two major ports.The seventh-generation self-driving technology that is underpinning this rollout was released in 2025 and has been hailed for its automotive-grade quality, reduced cost and a design that makes it compatible with a number of different vehicles.In China, these include robotaxis from automakers BAIC, GAC and Toyota, but it is the same underlying tech that is also fueling the company’s ramping up of its autonomous truck operations, with data from both robotaxis and robotrucks feeding into PonyWorld 2.0, the company’s proprietary world model, which can then identify areas where improvement in performance is required.The commercial case for global expansion looks strong, with Pony.ai revealing that in Q2 robotaxi revenue increased by 691% year-over-year to $12.1 million, aided by an 849% increase in fare revenues.The company’s net loss overall in Q2, meanwhile, was $23.4 million -- a decrease of 14.9% from the same quarter in 2025.Related:Speech-to-Text AI Specialist Now Valued at $2BAbout the AuthorContributing WriterGraham Hope has worked in automotive journalism in the U.K. for 26 years, including spells as editor of leading consumer news website and weekly Auto Express and respected buying guide CarBuyer.