Pony AI Inc. revealed in recent corporate filings on August 18, 2025, that ARK Invest, Cathie Wood's firm, invested approximately US$12.9 million in the Chinese autonomous driving company in August. This marks ARK's first investment in a Chinese firm solely focused on Level 4 (L4) autonomous driving technology development and commercialization.
Beyond ARK, exchange and corporate filings indicate that Pony AI attracted at least 14 major global institutional investors in Q2, including prominent names like Baillie Gifford and Nikko Asset Management. This broad backing stands in contrast to many U.S. investors shifting away from Chinese assets, highlighting confidence in Pony AI's potential.
CEO James Peng emphasized key factors driving investor confidence, including the Gen-7 vehicle's 70% lower cost, an expected remote assistant-to-vehicle ratio of 1:30 by year-end, and an 18% reduction in insurance costs. With a target fleet of 1,000 robotaxis by year-end, Pony AI aims to achieve positive unit economics, further bolstered by its fully-driverless commercial permits across all four Chinese tier-1 megacities and a partnership to integrate services into Tencent's WeChat platform.
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