Pony.ai’s Robotaxi fleet in Guangzhou now generates about RMB 299 ($41.86) in daily revenue per vehicle after discounts and refunds, reaching per-vehicle revenue break-even in November.
According to domestic media report, Pony.ai has become the first firm to achieve positive per-vehicle profitability for Robotaxi operations at the city level in Guangzhou, China as its fleet continues to scale.
At a media briefing on December 16, Pony.ai co-founder and CFO Wang Haojun said the company’s Robotaxi fleet in Guangzhou now averages 23 orders per vehicle per day, generating about RMB 299 ($41.86) in daily revenue per vehicle after discounts and refunds. This level of utilization enabled the fleet to reach per-vehicle revenue break-even in November.
Guangzhou’s emergence as the first city to hit break-even on Robotaxi economics was widely expected.
The city was an early mover in opening autonomous driving policies and advancing commercial pilots, while a sufficiently large fleet has created clear network effects.
As the only autonomous driving company holding Robotaxi demonstration operation permits in four Tier-1 Chinese cities, Pony.ai has already achieved 24/7 operations in Guangzhou.
Cost structure improvements have been central to the shift toward profitability. Wang noted that earlier fifth- and sixth-generation Robotaxi models were burdened by high costs, meaning larger deployments actually increased losses.
The seventh-generation Robotaxi, which entered fully driverless commercial operations in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen starting in November, has reduced autonomous driving hardware costs by more than 70%. Costs are expected to fall by a further 20% next year, laying the groundwork for large-scale expansion.
On the operations side, insurance costs are around 50% lower than those of traditional taxis due to a strong safety record.
Staffing efficiency is also improving, with the current ratio at roughly one operations staff member per 20 vehicles, expected to rise to 1:30 by year-end, further diluting per-vehicle costs.
From a financial perspective, Robotaxi is becoming a core growth driver. Pony.ai reported third-quarter revenue of RMB 181 million ($25.34 million), up 72.0% year on year. Robotaxi revenue rose 89.5% to RMB 47.7 million ($6.68 million), while passenger fare revenue more than tripled.
Gross margin for the quarter improved to 18.4%, up from 9.2% a year earlier, mainly driven by the rising share of Robotaxi operations. The company remains in an investment phase, however, reporting a Non-GAAP net loss of $55 million.
In a cross-market comparison, Pony.ai’s average daily orders per vehicle in Guangzhou are now approaching Waymo’s levels in the United States, although the RMB 299 ($41.86) in daily revenue remains relatively low by domestic ride-hailing standards.
Wang said the long-term goal is for Robotaxi economics to match or exceed those of human drivers, which will underpin future expansion.
With per-vehicle gross profitability achieved, Pony.ai has begun adjusting its expansion strategy.
As of November 23, its Robotaxi fleet stood at 961 vehicles and is expected to exceed 1,000 by year-end, with plans to grow to 3,000 vehicles by 2026 and reach a 100,000-vehicle scale by 2030.
At the same time, the company plans to shift from a heavy-asset, self-owned model toward a lighter structure, scaling through vehicle sales, technology licensing and service revenue sharing.
Overseas expansion will prioritize the Middle East, where the current focus remains on accumulating safety mileage.
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