Pony.ai Hits Record Robotaxi Revenue in Q1 2026, Raises Full-Year Target and Accelerates Global Expansion

Pony.ai released its unaudited financial results for the first quarter of 2026 on May 26, 2026. During the reporting period, the company recorded total revenue of RMB 236 million, an increase of 145% year-over-year (YoY) and 17.6% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ). Gross profit reached RMB 38.36 million, up 140.1% YoY. Operating losses remained largely flat YoY but narrowed by 21% QoQ. As of March 31, 2026, the company held cash and cash equivalents, along with short- and long-term investment securities, totaling RMB 9.902 billion. Revenue from Pony.ai’s Robotaxi business reached RMB 59.12 million in Q1 2026, surging 395.4% YoY and 28.7% QoQ—already exceeding half of its full-year 2025 Robotaxi revenue of RMB 116 million. Passenger fare revenue alone grew by 456.5% YoY. By May 2026, the number of registered Robotaxi users in China had more than tripled compared to the same period last year. Despite seasonal headwinds from the Chinese New Year holiday and traditionally slower demand, the business achieved month-over-month growth in fleet size, user base, and paid ride orders. Weekly average paid orders in May were up 119% compared to January, and daily average orders during the May Day holiday rose 544% YoY. Based on its strong Q1 performance, Pony.ai has raised its full-year 2026 Robotaxi revenue target from three times its 2025 level to over 3.5 times. The company also increased its 2026 fleet size target from 3,000 to more than 3,500 vehicles and plans to expand operations to over 20 cities globally. As of May 24, the Robotaxi fleet had already surpassed 1,700 vehicles. The newly added Toyota bZ4X Robotaxi model has begun fully driverless testing and is scheduled for deployment in multiple first-tier Chinese cities later this year. Additionally, Pony.ai announced that by 2027, the total vehicle cost for its domestic Robotaxi (including the vehicle, battery, and autonomous driving hardware suite) will be reduced to under RMB 230,000. In the domestic market, Robotaxi services expanded into downtown Guangzhou in Q1 2026, covering landmarks such as Canton Tower and the China Import and Export Fair Complex. Internationally, Pony.ai launched Europe’s first commercial Robotaxi service in Zagreb, Croatia, and initiated driverless testing in Dubai. To date, its Robotaxi operations span nine countries globally, offering public passenger services in China, Croatia, Qatar, Singapore, and South Korea. Other business segments also saw robust growth: Robotruck revenue reached RMB 70.33 million in Q1, up 31% YoY. In April, the company announced a strategic expansion into end-to-end freight logistics, encompassing both long-haul and urban delivery. Its fourth-generation all-electric heavy-duty truck is slated for mass production in the second half of 2026. At the Beijing Auto Show, Pony.ai unveiled its first fully automotive-grade, fully redundant autonomous light-duty truck, which reduces per-kilometer urban delivery costs by 40–50% compared to human-driven operations. The Intelligent Solutions segment generated RMB 107 million in Q1 revenue, a 246.5% YoY increase. Shipments of autonomous driving domain controllers surged to more than six times the level of the same period last year, driven primarily by rising demand in low-speed autonomous applications such as last-mile delivery, street sweeping, logistics, and humanoid robots.