In a significant move toward advancing autonomous driving technology, Pony.ai, an autonomous driving company, joined forces with Toyota Motor (China) Investment (TMCI) and GAC Toyota Motor (GTMC) to announce the establishment of a joint venture (JV).
The primary aim of this collaborative effort is to accelerate the future mass production and extensive deployment of fully driverless robotaxis.
The joint venture, set to be established in 2023, comes with a substantial estimated investment exceeding CNY1bn ($139.2m).
Under this agreement, GTMC will supply Pony.ai with Toyota-branded battery electric vehicles equipped with Toyota’s vehicle redundant systems, specifically designed for Level 4 (L4) autonomous driving development. These vehicles will incorporate Pony.ai’s advanced autonomous driving technology and operate on the PonyPilot+ robotaxi network platform.
The ultimate objective of this collaboration is to deliver safe and convenient robotaxi services, ensuring an enhanced travel experience for passengers.
The synergy of Pony.ai’s top-tier autonomous driving technology and robotaxi operational expertise, combined with Toyota’s renowned vehicle technologies and GTMC’s proficient production experience, lays the foundation for an expanded robotaxi service. This initiative aims to catalyse the full-scale commercialisation of advanced autonomous mobility, propelling the entire industry into a new era of development.
This joint venture further solidifies the longstanding collaboration between Pony.ai and Toyota. Their partnership began in August 2019 with a mutual commitment to advancing autonomous vehicle development in China.
Subsequently, in September 2019, both companies initiated autonomous driving testing on public roads in China, employing Toyota’s Lexus RX 450h model and Pony.ai’s autonomous driving systems.
More recently, in April 2023, the public road testing of the Toyota Sienna Autono-MaaS (S-AM) vehicle, equipped with Pony.ai’s sixth-generation autonomous driving software and hardware system, commenced in Beijing and Guangzhou.
Pony.ai currently boasts an impressive fleet of approximately 200 Toyota and Lexus brand robotaxis, operating across all four of China’s Tier-1 cities (Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen) for rigorous road tests and public-facing robotaxi operations.
This strategic joint venture with Toyota and GTMC signifies a substantial leap toward realizing the potential of fully autonomous driving and its integration into everyday transportation systems.
