Toyota and Pony.ai reveal new bZ4X robotaxi for China

What once used to be a dream of sitting in the back seat while a car drives itself through heavy traffic has become a reality. Autonomous taxis are slowly becoming the norm, and in China, two big companies just took a major step to bring this service to the local market. GAC Toyota and an autonomous driving company, Pony.ai, showed off their new mass-produced robotaxi.

The vehicle uses the Toyota bZ4X as a base, but instead of a human driver, the car uses a smart computer system to find its way around. From the outside, the new robotaxi looks a lot like the electric cars you might see at a local dealership. It features the latest design style from Toyota. But while it looks like a standard bZ4X, it carries the seventh generation of Pony.ai’s self-driving technology.

Pony.ai has been testing its technology in huge cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen for a long time. The new seventh-generation system is the result of years of testing in real-world traffic. The company says the software is now better at handling different types of weather and tricky road situations. It apparently is as good as a veteran driver that never gets tired or distracted by a cell phone.

The partnership between these two companies goes back several years. In early 2020, Toyota put $400 million into Pony.ai to help them grow. Before they started using the bZ4X, they used other Toyota vehicles. Their older robotaxis were based on the Lexus RX450h and the Toyota Sienna.

The plan for the next few years is quite ambitious. Pony.ai and GAC Toyota have formed a joint venture to get these cars on the road quickly. They want to have a fleet of thousands of bZ4X robotaxis running by the end of 2026. These vehicles will start working in China’s biggest cities first.

Pony.ai is growing very fast. In 2024, the company only had about 200 vehicles. By the end of 2025, that number was closer to 1,000, with 3,000 cars expected by the end of 2026. The company boss, Wang Haojun, says they want to have 100,000 vehicles on the road by the year 2030. He believes that once they have that many cars, the company will finally start making a profit. For now, they are focused on proving that the technology is safe and reliable for everyone.

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