Toyota has teamed up with autonomous mobility startup Pony.ai and GAC Toyota Motor, a joint venture between Toyota and GAC Group in China, to establish a new joint venture focused on mass producing and deploying fully driverless electric robotaxis in China. The joint venture is expected to be established with an investment of over RMB 1 billion ($139.2 million) this year.
Under the partnership, GAC Toyota Motor will provide Pony.ai with Toyota-branded electric vehicles equipped with Toyota’s vehicle redundant systems to support Level 4 autonomous driving. Pony.ai will integrate its autonomous driving technology into these vehicles, which will operate on its robotaxi network platform called PonyPilot+.
This collaboration builds upon the relationship that Toyota and Pony.ai have developed over the past few years. In 2019, they announced plans to advance self-driving vehicles in China and have since tested them on public roads. Pony.ai also became the first autonomous driving company to obtain a taxi license in China.
The joint venture’s goal is to accelerate the mass production and large-scale deployment of fully driverless electric robotaxis. This move by Toyota is seen as an effort to catch up in China’s rapidly evolving auto market as the industry transitions towards electric and autonomous vehicles. Toyota has also recently announced plans to focus on developing technology and software in China to introduce competitive electrified vehicles to the market.