As 2025 begins, the global autonomous driving industry is undergoing seismic shifts.BYD’s announcement of a “new era of intelligent driving for all,”Followed by WeRide’s Wall Street sensation,signals this year as a tipping point for self-driving technology.Yet, examining this automotive transformation closely,Guangdong province stands firmly at the center of the table,With its dominance in the robotaxi sector being increasingly apparent.

The battle for the billion-worth autonomous vehicle race has long been simmering.Particularly in the past year,robotaxi development has surged:Over 400 Apollo Go taxis deployed nationwide,Tesla launched its Cybercab,And rivals like OnTime and Didi Chuxing successfully went public.Adding to the momentum, the Guangzhou-based Pony.ai,rang the NASDAQ bell last October.This milestone as the first globally listed robotaxi company,also marked a 36 billion yuan market cap.

Being a "darling of investors,"Pony.ai has raised over USD1 billion since 2017,Backed by HongShan Capital,who led investor in four consecutive rounds,followed by FAW Group, Toyota,And other investment institutions.

Moreover, as a "star enterprise" in Nansha, Guangzhou,Pony.ai secured support from the hub's autonomous testing policies and local state capital.It also accelerated its IPO journey and commercialization process.

Pony.ai's IPO prospectus data reveals why investors have shown such strong interest:From 2022 through Q3 2024,Pony.ai has achieved revenues exceeding USD180 million,The highest among L4 autonomous driving companies with public financials.

For a tech firm,core technology is the divide between market survival and death.From 2022 to H1 2024,Pony.ai invested USD367 million in R&D.R&D personnel takes up 44 percent in Pony.ai's workforce.

Technical expertise is just the beginning;The next challenge lies in commercialization.As Pony.ai's founder stated,"The technical hurdles are largely cleared;Technology development is halfway completed,Commercialization is now the make-or-break phase."Yet the robotaxi sector remains far from profitable.Over the past two and a half years, Pony.ai has accumulated USD324 million in losses.Although it has halted its pattern of annual nine-figure losses,Its gross margins now face a sharp downward trajectory.

Can "Pony" cross this river relies on whether it could eventally forge its own commercial path.The company outlined its robotaxi ambitions.In its IPO prospectus:Rather than merely building a fleet,It aims to embed itself across the entire value chain, from passenger interfaces to platform operations,To create value at every stage.

With global competitors like Tesla and domestic rivals like WeRide quickly advancing,How far can Pony.ai progress?Who will first achieve the robotaxi vision?In this hyper competitive arena, answers may soon emerge.

出品：南財國際傳播中心 21新媒體中心 創意互動中心

策劃統籌：于曉娜 丁青云

內容統籌：譚婷 陳思穎

責任編輯：李香香

執行統籌：黃欣然 

設計統籌：林軍明

視頻統籌：白宇航

監制：施詩

英文翻譯&配音：李瑩亮

海外運營監制: 黃燕淑

海外運營內容統籌: 黃子豪

運營支持：曾靜嬌

審校：陳晶晶 黃志明