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Pony.ai Targets 3,000 Robotaxis in Over 20 Cities in 2026, Reports Quarterly Profit

Insider Brief

  • Pony.ai reported its first quarter profitability with $75.5 million in net income in Q4 2025, compared with a $181.1 million loss a year earlier, while full-year revenue rose 20% to $90 million and net loss narrowed 72%.
  • The company said robotaxi revenue grew 160% year over year, with fare revenue up more than 500%, as it reached unit economics breakeven in multiple Chinese cities and expanded its balance sheet to about $1.51 billion in cash and investments.
  • Pony.ai plans to scale its robotaxi fleet to more than 3,000 vehicles across 20+ cities globally in 2026, while using a partner-funded deployment model to improve capital efficiency and accelerate expansion.

Pony.ai reported a sharp improvement in its financial position and outlined plans to scale its robotaxi business globally as commercialization accelerates.

The company posted net income of $75.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2025, compared with a net loss of $181.1 million a year earlier, marking its first quarterly profit. Pony.ai said the gain was primarily driven by an increase in the fair value of trading securities.

The company said it plans to accelerate growth in 2026 by expanding its robotaxi fleet to more than 3,000 vehicles and deploying services in over 20 cities globally, with nearly half of those markets outside China.

Pony.ai said it will continue expanding production and partnerships, including plans to produce about 1,000 robotaxis in 2026 through its collaboration with Toyota, as it builds out a dual growth strategy across China and international markets.

For the full year, revenue rose 20% to $90 million, while net loss narrowed 72% to $76.8 million. The company said growth was driven by robotaxi operations as well as licensing and applications revenue tied to its autonomous driving technology.

Pony.ai also reported strong balance sheet expansion, with cash and equivalents, short-term investments and related assets totaling about $1.51 billion at the end of 2025, up from about $588 million three months earlier.

Pony.ai is also advancing a joint deployment model aimed at improving capital efficiency, where partners fund vehicles while the company provides its autonomous driving system and shares in operating revenue.

The company said robotaxi revenue grew 160% year over year in the fourth quarter, with fare revenue increasing more than 500% as fleet size and user adoption expanded. It also reported reaching unit economics breakeven in multiple tier-one Chinese cities.

Image credit: Pony.ai

Greg Bock
About the author
Greg Bock

Greg Bock is an award-winning investigative journalist with more than 25 years of experience in print, digital, and broadcast news. His reporting has spanned crime, politics, business and technology, earning multiple Keystone Awards and a Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters honors. Through the Associated Press and Nexstar Media Group, his coverage has reached audiences across the United States.

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