Pony.ai CEO says key pieces in place for large-scale robotaxi rollout

Pony.ai, a Chinese autonomous driving firm, is upgrading its AI systems and cutting vehicle costs to push for wider robotaxi deployment. CEO James Peng said the groundwork for large-scale deployment is largely in place. The company has upgraded its core AI system, PonyWorld, to better model traffic dynamics and road-user behavior. Pony.ai is working to lower production costs and aims to reduce the cost of its seventh-generation robotaxis to below $34,000 by 2027. The company is expanding services in China and overseas, with partnerships in Europe and the Middle East. Fully driverless robotaxis are already on the roads in designated zones across four Chinese cities.