Pony.ai has announced a new strategic partnership with Shenzhen Xihu Corporation (also known as Xihu Group, the city’s largest taxi operator), to jointly deploy a fleet of more than 1000 of its Gen 7 robotaxis within Shenzhen in the coming years.
For both companies, the partnership marks a key step towards achieving their shared goal of integrating autonomous driving with local mobility networks. Here, they aim to adopt an ‘asset-light and AI-empowered model’ that will help accelerate the large-scale deployment of safe, efficient, and intelligent mobility services to a broader passenger base in tier-one cities in China.
For the collaboration, Xihu Group will lend its experience in taxi fleet operation, local regulatory compliance and services and maintenance network, enabling Pony.ai to scale up its robotaxi services. By integrating this expertise with Pony.ai’s proprietary hardware-and-software technology, AI-powered order dispatch capability and deep understanding of user needs, the companies will work together towards delivering a seamless autonomous mobility experience.
Pony.ai, itself, is one of the first companies to be authorized to operate paid driverless robotaxis within Shenzhen’s city centers. The company’s robotaxis often navigate complex urban environments including tunnels, dense traffic, and irregular intersections. Going forward, it plans to continue collaborating with further transportation service providers, automakers and third-party partners to fulfil its goal to promote the mass deployment of autonomous mobility.
