Pony AI Inc. announced a partnership with Sunlight Mobility to accelerate the rollout of its Gen‑7 robotaxi fleet under an asset‑light model. Sunlight will finance the purchase of the vehicles, while Pony will supply its Virtual Driver autonomous‑driving stack and fleet‑management platform. The first deployment is slated for Guangzhou before the end of 2025.
Under the asset‑light arrangement, Sunlight covers the capital cost of each Gen‑7 unit, freeing Pony from the upfront vehicle expense. Pony retains ownership of the autonomous software and will earn revenue from the technology license and from a share of fare revenue. The model allows Pony to scale quickly across Sunlight’s network of more than 180 cities without the capital burden of owning a large fleet.
Pony’s Q2 2025 results showed a net loss of 381.6 million yuan ($53.3 million) but revenue rose 75.9 % YoY to 21.5 million yuan. The partnership is expected to improve the company’s cost structure and accelerate revenue growth, as the vehicle financing reduces capital expenditures and the expanded city footprint increases fare‑earning opportunities.
The Gen‑7 robotaxi incorporates a 70 % reduction in bill‑of‑materials cost compared with earlier models, making the vehicles more affordable for mass deployment. The platform also features advanced perception and decision‑making modules that have achieved a 99.9 % safety rating in pilot tests, positioning Pony to compete more aggressively with rivals such as Baidu Apollo Go and WeRide.
Sunlight Mobility’s presence in over 180 Chinese cities gives Pony a rapid path to scale its service beyond Guangzhou. By leveraging Sunlight’s existing customer base and digital infrastructure, Pony can capture a larger share of the Tier‑1 robotaxi market, where competition is intensifying and first‑mover advantage is critical.
CEO James Peng said the partnership “accelerates our commercialization strategy and demonstrates the scalability of our autonomous technology.” The announcement was well received by investors, reflecting confidence in Pony’s ability to reduce capital intensity while expanding its operational footprint.
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