Uber and Chinese autonomous vehicle maker Pony.ai announced an expanded partnership on Friday to deploy over 2,000 robotaxis across four European cities, significantly scaling up their self-driving ambitions on the continent.
The expanded deal builds on the pair initial March 2026 launch in Zagreb, Croatia, where they partnered with local startup Verne to begin commercial robotaxi operations. The new agreement pushes into four additional European cities, though neither company named the specific locations or provided a deployment timeline.
A Joint-Deployment Model Takes Shape
The partnership formalizes what the companies call a joint-deployment model for commercial scale. Pony.ai will supply its autonomous driving technology, built on its seventh-generation system and running on Arcfox Alpha T5 robotaxis manufactured by BAIC. Uber will provide its global ride-hailing platform to connect riders with the autonomous fleet.
Fleet management including maintenance, cleaning, and charging will be handled by local providers in each market, while vehicle ownership may vary by city depending on local partners. Pony.ai, headquartered in Guangzhou, already operates robotaxis commercially in four Chinese cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.
Competition Heats Up in European AV Market
The expansion comes as multiple autonomous vehicle companies race to establish a foothold in Europe. Waymo has announced plans to launch in London this year, while Baidu Apollo Go is partnering with Lyft for UK and Germany operations. Uber itself is also testing self-driving vehicles with Momenta in Germany.
Uber has partnered with more than 30 autonomous vehicle companies over the past several years, making it the single largest aggregator of self-driving technology platforms worldwide.
Pony.ai said it aims to bring its per-vehicle robotaxi cost below 230,000 yuan by 2027, a milestone that could accelerate fleet economics. The company completed its initial public offering earlier this year and has set aggressive growth targets for 2026 as it pushes beyond its Chinese home market into the Middle East and Europe.
Sources: TechCrunch; CNBC; Uber investor relations
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