Gate News message, April 28 — Chinese robotaxi companies Pony AI and WeRide are expanding their commercial autonomous vehicle fleets overseas, leveraging China's EV supply chain and lower operating costs for global scalability.
Pony AI's seventh-generation robotaxi costs under 230,000 yuan (approximately $33,700), including the vehicle battery and autonomous driving kit, with the new model launching next year. WeRide plans to deploy about 200,000 autonomous vehicles worldwide over the next five years through an expanded partnership with Lenovo, claiming a total cost of ownership reduction of 84% over a vehicle's lifecycle compared to its earlier platform.
WeRide secured what it described as the world's first urban Level 4 fully driverless robotaxi commercial license outside the U.S., in Abu Dhabi. Pony AI operates an asset-light model, supplying autonomous driving technology to partners such as Toyota and sharing fleet profits, while WeRide generates revenue from vehicle sales, including minibuses and street sweepers, which accounted for 52.6% of its 2025 revenue.
