Pony.ai Advances Autonomous Driving Technology with Strategic Partnerships and Cost Reductions

Pony AI stock price: Chinese Waymo rival is up a staggering 55% today. Here are 3 possible reasons why

Pony AI makes the technology that allows cars to become autonomous, or self-driving, not the cars itself, but is partnering with companies that do. It also operates a fleet of robotaxis in China. Last week, Pony AI unveiled three new driver-less vehicles at the Shanghai Auto Show, which were co-developed with Chinese state-owned automakers BAIC Motor and Guangzhou Automobile Group, as well as, Toyota. Analysts estimate the company has slashed its bill-of-materials, or BOM, (all the materials, components, sub-assemblies, and instructions needed to manufacture a product) costs for its robotaxis from $137,217 to a $41,165.

PONY AI Inc. and Tencent Cloud Announce Strategic Partnership to Advance Autonomous Driving Technology and Robotaxi Commercial Deployment - Pony AI (NASDAQ:PONY)

SHANGHAI, China, April 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pony AI Inc. ("Pony.ai" or the "Company") PONY, a global leader in achieving large-scale commercialization of autonomous mobility, announced a strategic partnership with Tencent Cloud and Smart Industries Group ("CSIG", or the "Tencent Cloud"), the cloud business of Tencent Holding Limited (HKEX: 00700, "Tencent"), a world-leading Internet and technology company in China, to jointly advance autonomous driving technology and accelerate the commercialization of Robotaxi services. This partnership will amplify Pony.ai's cutting-edge autonomous driving technology by leveraging Tencent's ecosystem -- including Weixin, Tencent Maps and its robust cloud computing, big data and AI infrastructure. It marks a significant step forward for Pony.ai's ongoing journey toward large-scale commercialization. By integrating Pony.ai's Robotaxi services into Tencent's Weixin "Mobility Services" platform and its digital mapping tool, Tencent Maps, this partnership will expand user reach -- delivering Pony.ai's safe, efficient, and intelligence transportation solutions to a broader user base. This collaboration will also drive innovation in operational models, product features and in-car infotainment systems to elevate user experience in the Robotaxi sector. In addition, Pony.ai will leverage Tencent's core competencies across cloud computing, big data, virtual simulation, and AI to further empower the performance of its proprietary PonyWorld virtual model, enabling it to effectively "coach" the model to better handle real-world challenges. The collaboration will focus on co-developing a high-performance testing and simulation platform that supports the entire lifecycle of autonomous vehicle development -- from large-scale model training to real-world deployment. This creates a solid foundation to allow Pony.ai's autonomous vehicle practice within enhanced virtual environments, thereby improving its adaptability and decision-making precision for extreme scenarios. Dr. James Peng, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Pony.ai, "We are excited to collaborate with Tencent Cloud, a trusted technology partner that shares our vision of bringing safe and intelligent mobility solutions to everyone. Tencent's robust digital ecosystem will enable us to unlock new innovation opportunities and bring Robotaxi services even closer to users. This partnership sets a new milestone, accelerating the path to commercial Robotaxi deployment through user base expansion and platform cooperation while shaping the future of the industry." Mr. Xiangping Zhong, Vice President of Tencent Group, added, "Pony.ai stands out as a clear leader in autonomous driving industry, setting benchmarks for technological innovation. We are thrilled to embark on this strategic partnership to support the next phase of Robotaxi development, with Tencent's strengths in cloud computing, mapping, and smart cabin ecosystems. This collaboration goes beyond mere technical integration, it marks the beginning of a long-term co-innovation journey for our users." About Pony AI Inc. Pony AI Inc. is a global leader in achieving large-scale commercialization of autonomous mobility. Leveraging its vehicle-agnostic Virtual Driver technology, a full-stack autonomous driving technology that seamlessly integrates Pony.ai's proprietary software, hardware, and services, Pony.ai is developing a commercially viable and sustainable business model that enables the mass production and deployment of vehicles across transportation use cases. Founded in 2016, Pony.ai has expanded its presence across China, Europe, East Asia, the Middle East and other regions, ensuring widespread accessibility to its advanced technology. For more information, please visit: http://ir.pony.ai. About Tencent Cloud Tencent Cloud, one of the world's leading cloud companies, is committed to creating innovative solutions to resolve real-world issues and enabling digital transformation for smart industries. Through our extensive global infrastructure, Tencent Cloud provides businesses across the globe with stable and secure industry-leading cloud products and services, leveraging technological advancements such as cloud computing, Big Data analytics, AI, IoT, and network security. It is our constant mission to meet the needs of industries across the board, including the fields of gaming, media and entertainment, finance, healthcare, property, retail, travel, and transportation. This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "aims," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "likely to," and similar statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Pony.ai's beliefs, plans, and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Pony.ai's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and Pony.ai does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law. For investor and media inquiries, please contact: Pony.ai Investor Relations Email: [email protected] Media Relations Email: [email protected] Christensen Advisory Email: [email protected] PONYPony AI Inc$8.7515.6%Stock Score Locked: Want to See it? Benzinga Rankings give you vital metrics on any stock - anytime. Reveal Full ScoreEdge RankingsMomentum-Growth-Quality-Value56.96Price TrendShortMediumLongOverviewMarket News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Pony AI Stock Is Galloping Higher Monday: Here's What Investors Are Watching - Pony AI (NASDAQ:PONY)

Feel unsure about the market's next move? Copy trade alerts from Matt Maley -- a Wall Street veteran who consistently finds profits in volatile markets. Claim your 7-day free trial now. Pony AI Inc PONY shares are running Monday following reports that the Chinese robotaxi company has accelerated its timeline to profitability. What To Know: Pony AI chief technology officer Lou Tiancheng told The Wall Street Journal that the company is getting closer to becoming profitable following a series of cost-cutting measures. Following the release of three new robotaxis at the Shanghai Auto Show last week, company executives reportedly said Pony AI can build its most advanced autonomous driving systems for 70% less than before. Analysts estimated that the robotaxi company has lowered its bill-of-materials costs for its robotaxis from approximately $137,000 to approximately $41,000. Analysts further estimated that Pony AI could be able to reach single-unit breakeven goals by the end of 2025. The Pony AI technology chief said in the interview with The Wall Street Journal that the company has been able to cut costs through software optimization, adding that Pony AI tripled performance using the same level of computing power. The report indicates that Pony AI is planning to start mass producing its robotaxis by mid-2025 and is targeting adding an additional 700 vehicles to its fleet by the end of the year. Pony AI was publicly listed on the Nasdaq in late 2024. The company reported a loss of 31 cents per share for the fourth quarter, down from a loss of 20 cents per share in the prior year's quarter. Sales for the period totaled $35.52 million, according to Benzinga Pro. Check This Out: Trump's Autonomous Vehicles Stance, Bezos Vs. Tesla, And More: This Week In Mobility Is PONY A Good Stock To Buy? An investor can make a few decisions when deciding whether a stock is a good buy. In addition to valuation metrics and price action which you can find on Benzinga's quote pages - like Pony AI's page for example - there are factors like whether or not a company pays a dividend or buys a large portion of its stock each quarter. These are known as capital allocation programs. Pony AI does not pay a dividend, but obviously has a few ways it can return value to shareholders. Feel free to search Benzinga's dividend calendar for the next company that is due to pay a dividend and determine what kind of yield you can earn for holding a share of the company. Buyback programs are obviously different and highly variable. A company can approve a buyback program and purchase shares as it sees fit over the course of time in which the buyback was authorized. Looking through the latest news on Pony AI will often yield whether or not the company has approved a buyback program recently. Buyback programs usually serve as a support for share prices, serving as a backstop for demand. PONY Price Action: Pony AI shares were up 47.7% Monday afternoon, trading at $10.36 at the time of publication, according to Benzinga Pro. Photo: Tada Images/Shutterstock. PONYPony AI Inc$10.3247.2%Stock Score Locked: Want to See it? Benzinga Rankings give you vital metrics on any stock - anytime. Reveal Full ScoreEdge RankingsMomentum-Growth-Quality-Value49.75Price TrendShortMediumLongOverviewMarket News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Pony AI Shares Surge After Hesai Lidar Partnership Announcement: What's Going On? - Pony AI (NASDAQ:PONY)

Feel unsure about the market's next move? Copy trade alerts from Matt Maley -- a Wall Street veteran who consistently finds profits in volatile markets. Claim your 7-day free trial now. Shares of Pony AI Inc. PONY are trading higher Thursday. The company selected Hesai Group Inc. HSAI's AT128 lidar sensors as the primary lidar system for its new seventh-generation Robotaxi fleet. What To Know: The two companies made the announcement at the Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition, where Pony AI revealed its latest automotive-grade L4 autonomous driving platform. Each of the three new Robotaxi models will be equipped with four Hesai AT128 sensors. The integration is intended to enable 360° obstacle detection and navigation in complex traffic conditions. The sensors are specifically engineered for scalable deployment in autonomous vehicles. Pony AI claims its new system achieves a 70% reduction in component costs compared to earlier models and features a modular architecture for easier deployment across multiple vehicle platforms. The company also reports that its autonomous fleet has already logged over 500,000 hours of fully driverless operation, and claims a tenfold safety improvement over human drivers. Price Action: Pony AI shares were up 34.5% at $7.30 at the time of writing, according to Benzinga Pro. Read Next: Wall Street Rally Extends Into Third Day: What's Driving Markets Thursday? Image Via Shutterstock. PONYPony AI Inc$7.3134.6%Stock Score Locked: Want to See it? Benzinga Rankings give you vital metrics on any stock - anytime. Reveal Full ScoreEdge RankingsMomentum-Growth-Quality-Value56.96Price TrendShortMediumLongOverviewHSAIHesai Group$14.913.61%Got Questions? AskWhich autonomous vehicle companies will benefit?How will Hesai Group impact lidar demand?Are there investment opportunities in driverless technology?What does Pony AI's success mean for robotaxi markets?Which automotive suppliers could be affected by this partnership?How might this affect public transportation services?Could tech investors find value in lidar tech?What impact will this have on autonomous driving regulations?How does this shift the landscape for vehicle safety technologies?What are the long-term prospects for autonomous fleets?Powered ByMarket News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Pony.ai Shares Volatile Amid Strategic Tencent Partnership And Hesai Lidar Integration: What's Going On? - Pony AI (NASDAQ:PONY)

Feel unsure about the market's next move? Copy trade alerts from Matt Maley -- a Wall Street veteran who consistently finds profits in volatile markets. Claim your 7-day free trial now. Pony AI Inc. PONY shares are trading lower Friday despite the company announcing two significant developments aimed at boosting its autonomous driving capabilities and commercialization efforts. What To Know: Pony.ai announced a partnership with Tencent Cloud, the cloud arm of Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings. The deal is positioned to integrate Pony.ai's Robotaxi services with Tencent's digital platforms, including Weixin and Tencent Maps, to broaden user access and support large-scale deployment of autonomous mobility solutions in China. Tencent will also provide backend support in cloud computing, big data, and AI infrastructure to enhance Pony.ai's virtual simulation tool, PonyWorld, and improve its real-world readiness through advanced testing environments. At the same time, Pony.ai is pushing forward with hardware upgrades through a separate partnership with Hesai Group Inc. HSAI, selecting Hesai's AT128 lidar sensors as the primary system for its seventh-generation Robotaxi fleet. The announcement was made during the Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition on Thursday, where Pony.ai showcased its new L4 autonomous driving platform. The platform includes four AT128 sensors per vehicle, supporting 360-degree obstacle detection and navigation in dense urban environments. Pony.ai claims the new system reduces component costs by 70% compared to earlier models and is designed with a modular structure to streamline deployment across different vehicle types. The company also disclosed that its fleet has accumulated over 500,000 hours of fully driverless operation and reports a tenfold improvement in safety compared to human drivers. PONY Price Action: Pony shares were down 5.94% at $7.12 at the time of writing, according to Benzinga Pro. Read Next: 'Stay BIG, Sell Rips': Hartnett Doubts Bull Market Without 3 Key Catalysts PONYPony AI Inc$7.08-6.48%Stock Score Locked: Want to See it? Benzinga Rankings give you vital metrics on any stock - anytime. Reveal Full ScoreEdge RankingsMomentum-Growth-Quality-Value48.57Price TrendShortMediumLongOverviewHSAIHesai Group$15.332.00%Got Questions? AskWhich companies will benefit from Pony.ai's partnership?How might Tencent leverage its cloud services?What impact will Hesai Group have on lidar tech?Are there investment opportunities in autonomous driving?Could this partnership enhance robotaxi adoption in China?How will cost reductions affect the lidar market?What other tech collaborations can we expect in this field?Which investors should watch Pony.ai's developments closely?How could cloud computing investments be impacted?What trends in autonomous technology should investors monitor?Powered ByMarket News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Pony.ai And Tencent Partner On L4 Robotaxis, Expand China's Self-Driving Future - Tencent Holdings (OTC:TCEHY), Pony AI (NASDAQ:PONY)

Chinese autonomous driving company Pony AI Inc PONY on Friday shared plans to develop autonomous driving technology in partnership with Tencent Holding TCEHY Tencent Cloud and deploy robotaxi services on Tencent's WeChat and other applications. The deal will include cooperation in cloud services, map data, information security, and intelligent cockpit ecosystems, CNBC reported Friday, citing the company press release. The companies will also integrate Pony.ai's robotaxi ride-hailing services into Tencent's WeChat app and other applications, such as Tencent Maps. Also Read: Intel Autonomous Driving Firm Mobileye Reaffirms 2025 Outlook After Record Q1 Growth Pony.ai CEO James Peng told CNBC on Friday at the Shanghai Auto Show that both companies had been discussing a deal for some time. Peng also hinted at the possibility of WeChat app users booking Pony.ai robotaxi rides straight through their app. The companies will also collaborate on developing, testing, and operating Robotaxis, particularly in L4-level autonomous driving. Pony.ai showcased its L4, seventh-generation robotaxi solution on Wednesday at the Shanghai Auto Show. Separately, Pony.ai announced that Hesai Group's HSAI lidar will power its new robotaxi fleet. In April, Pony.ai won approval to begin Level 4 robotaxi testing in Luxembourg with local transit partner Emile Weber. The company has testing permits in China, the U.S., South Korea and Luxembourg. In March, Pony.ai launched a paid, fully driverless robotaxis in Shenzhen's key Nanshan business district. The company expanded commercial operations to connect Nanshan with its existing service zone in Baoan District. In U.S., Volkswagen VWAGY and Uber Technologies, Inc announced on Thursday a collaboration to deploy an all-electric, fully autonomous ID. Buzz AD vehicles within multiple U.S. markets, starting in Los Angeles over the next decade. Tesla Inc TSLA tweeted Wednesday that it has started testing its autonomous ride-hail service with Austin and the Bay Area employees ahead of its planned robotaxi launch this summer. Price Action: PONY stock is down 9.51% to $6.85 at last check Friday. Read Next: Tesla Rival Rivian Taps AI Expert Aidan Gomez To Drive Innovation Photo by Tada Images via Shutterstock PONYPony AI Inc$6.96-8.06%Stock Score Locked: Want to See it? Benzinga Rankings give you vital metrics on any stock - anytime. Reveal Full ScoreEdge RankingsMomentum-Growth-Quality-Value56.96Price TrendShortMediumLongOverviewTCEHYTencent Holdings Ltd$62.031.27%HSAIHesai Group$15.191.06%TSLATesla Inc$282.028.67%VWAGYVolkswagen AG$11.340.62%Got Questions? AskHow will Pony.ai's robotaxis impact ride-hailing?What growth can Tencent expect from this partnership?Which autonomous vehicle companies may face competition?How will Hesai Group benefit from lidar demand?Could Volkswagen see a market shift due to new tech?Which markets are ripe for robotaxi services expansion?How might Uber adapt to increased competition?What opportunities exist for cloud services in autonomous tech?Will driverless technology change consumer behavior?What investments in transportation tech should be considered?Powered ByMarket News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Why Pony AI Stock Keeps Racing Higher | The Motley Fool

Pony AI (PONY -7.79%) stock just keeps on galloping. For the third day in a row, the small-cap Chinese robotaxi and robotruck company rode higher on Friday, building on huge gains Wednesday and Thursday. The stock tacked on another 22.7% through 9:40 a.m. this morning and now is up more than 120% over the past three days. Yes, you read that right: Pony doubled, and then went up even more. So far this week, the biggest little Chinese small cap you've never heard of (before this week) has announced it's producing three new robotaxi models in cooperation with Beijing Automotive Group, Guangzhou Automobile Group, and Toyota Motor (TM 0.07%), respectively, and that it has lined up local partner Hesai Group (HSAI 1.06%) to supply it with AT128 lidar sensors for its robotaxis. Today, Pony added that it's partnering with another local company, Tencent Holdings (TCEHY 1.26%), to further "advance autonomous driving technology and robotaxi commercial deployment." This tie-up will pair Pony's "cutting-edge" autonomous driving system with tech products from Tencent, specifically the latter's Weixin (or "WeChat") social media, messaging, and payment app, Tencent Maps, and its "robust cloud computing, big data and AI infrastructure," all of which sound to me like logical add-ons to an electric-car-slash-robotaxi service. Tencent might do well to ante up a bit of cash. Tencent's tech contributions are all great, but there's no mention of financial support in the press release, and Pony is still burning cash, and losing $274 million a year. While the company has considerable cash reserves, a little more could go a long way to ensuring Pony stock doesn't go bankrupt before 2029, the first year it's expected to be profitable, according to analysts polled by S&P Global Market Intelligence. Meanwhile, until the financial picture firms up, I must still consider Pony a speculative, momentum-driven stock.

Why Pony.ai Stock Is Skyrocketing Today

The company, which develops self-driving technologies, announced a new partnership with Tencent Holdings, a large Chinese tech company headquartered in Shenzhen. Pony.ai will integrate its autonomous robotaxi services into Tencent's Weixin Mobility Services platform and Tencent Maps. A boost for the company's profile The deal validates the company's technology, demonstrating its usefulness to a company as powerful as Tencent. The collaboration will likely help Pony.ai gain more clients and drive revenue growth. It also benefits from exposure to Tencent's tech ecosystem, whose advanced cloud computing, big data, and artificial intelligence muscle will enhance Pony.ai's platform and help refine its models. The business is currently bleeding cash and has fairly meager revenue. Last quarter, it lost roughly $180 million on $35 million in sales. These numbers look concerning, but they're not unusual for a relatively young company still proving its technology. It is well funded and has a strong balance sheet with nearly $750 million in cash on hand. The new partnership will undoubtedly help it move toward profitability. For those with patience and a higher risk tolerance, I think Pony.ai could pay off.

Why Pony AI Is Winning the Artificial Intelligence Race Today

Unless you have a very fast horse, it probably won't pay to chase Pony stock. The small-cap Chinese robotaxi and robotruck company, which surged more than 30% yesterday after announcing it has developed three new robotaxi models with partners Beijing Automotive, Guangzhou Automobile, and Toyota Motor, galloped ahead a further 27.6% through 10:25 a.m. ET this morning. Much of today's gain can be attributed to yesterday's news, but there's a new development as well. The Fly is reporting this morning that Pony has picked a local partner, Hesai Group, to supply it with AT128 lidar sensors to help its new robotaxis see better. As you can probably guess, Hesai stock is moving higher today as well, up 6.1%. How significant is this news? Honestly, I don't think today's news is quite as big a deal as the stock price suggests -- well, not for Pony AI at least. It's certainly good news for Hesai. For Pony, though, the big developments are still that Pony is now on the seventh iteration of its autonomous driving system, that it possesses an "automotive-grade autonomous driving kit" (which can presumably be licensed for use by other automakers, generating additional revenue), and that the company has cut the input costs of building its kit by 70%. Plus, you know, the fact that it's got the world's biggest carmaker by sales, Toyota, as a partner. Is Pony AI stock a buy? All this said, however, there's one thing Pony doesn't have, and that's profits. With $75 million in trailing revenue, Pony lost $274 million last year, and is still burning cash. The good news is that Pony has cash to burn -- about $745 million of the stuff -- which may or may not be enough to keep the company going to a point where it can support itself with internal free cash flow. Wall Street analysts don't see that happening before 2029, however. For the time being, Pony AI remains a speculative stock. If you must buy, buy small, and don't chase this stock higher until you know for sure this start-up will survive.

Why Shares of Pony AI Blasted 70% Higher This Week | The Motley Fool

Since last Friday, shares of Pony AI (PONY 37.02%), a China-based autonomous vehicle company, have blasted over 70% higher, as of 1:38 p.m. ET Thursday. The company recently rolled out its seventh-generation autonomous driving system at the auto show in Shanghai. Investors are clearly impressed by Pony AI's robotaxis, which are backed by Toyota. Management claims Pony's vehicles are 20% to 30% cheaper to make than those built by the U.S.-based Waymo. Pony also said it had cut its production costs on the vehicles by 70% from its previous generation, and that its self-driving systems are very safe. "The safety requirements for [Level 4] systems inherently surpass those of human drivers, which we believe is unattainable through merely imitating human behavior," Pony AI's chief technology officer, Tiancheng Lou, said in a statement. "Our proprietary PonyWorld generates realistic scenarios, conducts high-fidelity simulations, and establishes behavior evaluation benchmarks to make our autonomous decision-making go beyond human capability. Building on this advanced technology, our seventh-generation autonomous driving system not only makes [Level 4] autonomous driving possible but also ensures scalability at a manageable cost." CEO James Peng told the South China Morning Post that the new autonomous systems are more integrated than those made by Waymo and benefit from China's "... mature supply chain and ecosystem ..." Peng also said that mass production of the new vehicles will begin this year and scale up to 50,000 units by 2028. Pony AI generated about $75 million of revenue in 2024, while also turning in a loss of about $275 million. With a $2.5 billion market cap, that means it trades at a massive valuation. Obviously, investors are focused on the future, and the opportunity could be enormous. But early-stage companies like this can be very volatile, so if you are interested in investing, I would start with a small position and gradually accumulate shares as the company hits more milestones and reaches financial maturity.

Pony AI: Long Ride Ahead (NASDAQ:PONY)

Pony could generate strong returns but I believe there is too much uncertainty in regard to technology, competition and geopolitics. Pony AI (NASDAQ:PONY) is a Chinese developer of self-driving technology for the robotaxi and robotruck markets. While Pony has an expanding presence internationally, its near term success will be dictated by its business in China. Pony's stock appears inexpensive, but this Richard Durant is the leader of Narweena, an asset manager focused on finding market dislocations that are the result of a poor understanding of a businesses long-term prospects. Narweena believes that excess risk adjusted returns can be achieved by identifying businesses with secular growth opportunities in markets with barriers to entry. Narweena's research process is focused on company and industry fundamentals with the goal of uncovering unique insights. Narweena has a high risk appetite and a long-term horizon, in pursuit of stocks that are deeply undervalued. Coverage tilts towards smaller cap stocks and markets where competitive advantages are not obvious.Investments are driven by a belief that an aging population with low population growth and stagnating productivity growth will create a different opportunity set to what has worked in the past. Many industries are likely to face stagnation or secular decline, which counter-intuitively may improve business performance if competition decreases. Conversely, other businesses are likely to face rising costs and diseconomies of scale. In addition, economies are becoming increasingly dominated by asset light businesses, and the need for infrastructure investments is declining over time. As a result, a large pool of capital is chasing a limited set of investment opportunities, which is driving up asset prices and compressing risk premia over time.Durant has undergraduate degrees in engineering and finance from the University of Adelaide (Honors) and an MBA from Nanyang Technological University (Dean's Honors List). He has also passed the CFA exams. Analyst's Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

Pony Ai stock soars on new robotaxi lineup, Tencent Cloud partnership By Investing.com

Investing.com -- Shares of Pony Ai Inc (NASDAQ:PONY) continued their upward trajectory, soaring 21.4% in premarket trading after a 39.4% rise yesterday. The significant increase follows the announcement of the company's seventh-generation robotaxi lineup and a strategic partnership with Tencent (HK:0700) Cloud to advance autonomous driving technology and expedite the commercial deployment of Robotaxi services. This collaboration is expected to leverage Pony.ai's autonomous driving capabilities with Tencent's extensive ecosystem, which includes Weixin, Tencent Maps, and their cloud computing, big data, and AI infrastructure. The partnership, announced on April 25, aims to enhance Pony.ai's Robotaxi services by integrating them into Tencent's Weixin "Mobility Services" platform and Tencent Maps. This integration is anticipated to extend the reach of Pony.ai's transportation solutions to a larger customer base. Additionally, the collaboration will drive innovation in operational models, product features, and in-car entertainment systems, aiming to improve the Robotaxi user experience. Pony.ai will also utilize Tencent's expertise in cloud computing, big data, virtual simulation, and AI to strengthen its proprietary PonyWorld virtual model. This model is designed to simulate real-world driving challenges more effectively, enhancing the autonomous vehicles' adaptability and decision-making in extreme scenarios. Dr. James Peng, Co-founder and CEO of Pony.ai, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, "We are excited to collaborate with Tencent Cloud, a trusted technology partner that shares our vision of bringing safe and intelligent mobility solutions to everyone." Mr. Xiangping Zhong, Vice President of Tencent Group, echoed these sentiments, highlighting Pony.ai's leadership in the autonomous driving industry. The stock's recent surge also follows Pony.ai's announcement at the Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition on April 23, revealing their seventh-generation Robotaxi lineup. The new models, which are set to be mass-produced starting mid-2025, are developed in collaboration with Toyota (NYSE:TM), BAIC, and GAC. Pony.ai's latest autonomous driving system is reported to have a 100% automotive-grade ADK and a 70% reduction in BOM costs, with a modular platform architecture that allows for easy adaptation across different vehicle models. These advancements are expected to provide passengers with enhanced stability and safety while maintaining scalability at a manageable cost. In response to the company's performance, Argus' Randall Schut provided his insights, "Chinese AI company Pony (PONY) has been soaring this week and looks to keep that momentum going today." Investors appear to be reacting positively to Pony.ai's recent developments, which could potentially reshape the future of the autonomous driving industry.