Pony.ai Says 2027 Fully Driverless Robotaxi Costs Under ¥230,000, Achieves Profitability per Vehicle in Guangzhou-Shenzhen

Pony.ai announced at the 2026 Beijing Auto Show that the total vehicle cost (including the car, autonomous driving hardware suite, battery, etc.) of its 2027 fully driverless Robotaxi will be reduced to under RMB 230,000—lower than the price of a locally produced Tesla Model 3. The vehicle is already operating daily on public roads in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen. According to the company’s 2025 financial report, total annual revenue reached RMB 629 million, up 20% year-over-year. The fourth quarter marked the first time Pony.ai achieved quarterly profitability, with a net profit of RMB 528 million. In Guangzhou and Shenzhen, its Robotaxi business has already turned positive on a per-vehicle unit economics (UE) basis. Robotaxi revenue for 2025 totaled RMB 116 million, surging 129% year-over-year, driven by nearly 400% growth in passenger fare income. As of March 2026, Pony.ai’s user base in China surpassed one million—approximately triple the figure from the same period last year. Wang Haojun, Co-founder and CFO of Pony.ai, stated that the company achieved positive UE in Guangzhou in November 2024 and in Shenzhen in February 2025. He emphasized that revenue growth primarily stems from increased usage frequency among repeat customers rather than trial rides by new users. Service continuity, he noted, is key to sustaining repeat usage and enhancing revenue predictability. On the cost side, the seventh-generation Robotaxi benefits significantly from the maturation of China’s intelligent vehicle supply chain, forward-looking R&D of Level 4 autonomous software and hardware, and domestic substitution of core sensors—leading to a substantial reduction in overall vehicle costs. Based on a six-year depreciation schedule, the annual asset cost per vehicle is now under RMB 40,000, markedly lower than the industry’s previous range of RMB 400,000–500,000. Operational costs consist of six components: charging, ground support and remote assistance personnel, maintenance and cleaning, insurance, network connectivity, and parking fees. Insurance expenses have declined alongside falling accident rates, creating a virtuous cycle where improved technical reliability drives down costs. Additionally, ground support staffing requirements have decreased as system reliability improves, further optimizing marginal costs. Despite achieving positive UE, overall profitability still hinges on scale. In an environment where capital no longer supports cash-burning expansion, Pony.ai has adopted a “co-building model,” refraining from owning vehicle assets itself and instead partnering with automakers, operators, and capital providers. The company has validated its end-to-end autonomous operations capability in Tier-1 cities and now opens its platform, vehicle assets, and operational infrastructure to partners—excluding only the AI driver component. In February 2026, the first mass-produced Toyota bZ4X Robotaxi rolled off the production line, marking the entry of Pony.ai’s collaboration with Toyota China and GAC Toyota into the phase of scaled production and operations. In March 2026, the company delivered over 100 Aion霸王Long (Aion HL) Robotaxis to Ruqi Mobility; these vehicles have been integrated into Ruqi’s platform and are gradually entering service. Pony.ai plans to expand its Robotaxi fleet to over 3,000 units by the end of 2026, with nearly half deployed through its co-building fleet model.