PONY AI Inc. Robotaxis Deliver Strong Chinese New Year Holiday Performance with Record Paid Orders in Shenzhen
Rhea-AI Summary
Pony AI (NASDAQ: PONY) reported record Robotaxi performance during the 2026 Chinese New Year holiday, led by record paid order volumes in Shenzhen. As of Feb 16, year-to-date paid orders in Shenzhen exceeded the full-year 2025 total, driven by an expanded fleet and higher utilization. Pony AI operated continuously across Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Beijing, and Shanghai, achieving an average of 26 paid orders per vehicle per day during the nine-day CNY period. The results point to rising user demand and strengthened large-scale commercial deployment of autonomous mobility services.
Positive
- YTD paid orders in Shenzhen exceeded full-year 2025
- Average 26 paid orders per vehicle per day during nine-day CNY
- Continuous Robotaxi operations across four tier-one cities
Negative
- None.
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
PONY fell 1.7% while peers showed mixed action: EXLS appeared in momentum scanners up 5.74% without news, and VRRM was down 7.27%. Broader peer moves do not clearly track PONY’s decline.
Previous AI Reports
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-11 | Index inclusion | Positive | -0.3% | Added to MSCI China Index as first Robotaxi constituent. |
| 2026-02-05 | Governance/EGM | Neutral | -0.7% | Announced extraordinary general meeting and class meetings scheduling. |
| 2026-01-27 | Commercial partnership | Positive | +1.3% | Strategic ATBB deal to expand Robotaxi commercialization in tier-1 cities. |
| 2025-11-25 | Earnings/commercial | Positive | +5.9% | Reported Q3 2025 growth and Gen-7 Robotaxi unit-economics breakeven. |
| 2025-11-18 | Product launch | Positive | +2.3% | Unveiled Gen-4 autonomous trucks targeting mass production in 2026. |
Most AI-tagged announcements with clearly positive content saw aligned positive moves; index-inclusion news was a notable divergence with a slight decline.
Over the past few months, Pony.ai has reported several milestones tied to its autonomous driving and Robotaxi strategy. These include Gen-7 Robotaxi city-wide unit-economics breakeven and a fleet of 961 vehicles targeting >3,000 by end-2026, expansion via an asset-light partnership with ATBB, and unveiling of Gen-4 autonomous trucks designed for large-scale deployment. The company also secured inclusion in the MSCI China Index and scheduled an extraordinary general meeting. Today’s Chinese New Year Robotaxi performance update fits this trajectory of commercialization and scaling.
Historical Comparison
Recent AI-tagged news for PONY produced an average move of about 1.69%, so reactions to this operational CNY update would sit against a backdrop of generally modest but often positive responses.
AI-tagged releases show a progression from Gen-4 truck unveiling and Gen-7 Robotaxi breakeven to asset-light scaling, MSCI index inclusion, and now record Robotaxi utilization during Chinese New Year.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement highlights record paid Robotaxi orders and higher utilization during the 2026 Chinese New Year, especially in Shenzhen, while maintaining operations across four tier-one cities. In the past six months, Pony.ai has emphasized Gen-7 Robotaxi breakeven, fleet expansion toward >3,000 vehicles, and asset-light partnerships. Investors may watch how sustained these utilization levels are beyond the holiday period, how quickly fleet size and coverage expand, and how these trends flow through to revenue and profitability metrics.
Key Terms
robotaxi technical
autonomous driving technology technical
autonomous mobility technical
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
SHENZHEN, China, Feb. 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pony AI Inc. (“Pony.ai” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: PONY; HKEX: 2026), a global leader in achieving large-scale mass production and commercialization of autonomous driving technology, today announced strong operational performance of its Robotaxi services during the 2026 Chinese New Year (“CNY”) holiday period, highlighted by record paid order volumes in Shenzhen.
During the CNY holiday, Pony.ai delivered continuous Robotaxi operations across China’s four tier-one cities: Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Beijing, and Shanghai, offering reliable autonomous mobility services throughout the travel season. The Company’s ability to deliver uninterrupted service during one of China’s busiest travel periods demonstrates the resilience and reliability of its autonomous driving technology.
In particular, the Company has seen a substantial expansion in service volume in Shenzhen, known as China’s Silicon Valley. As of February 16, year-to-date cumulative paid orders in the city have already exceeded the total for the full year of 2025, driven by an expanded fleet in deployment and higher vehicle utilization. The latter was proven by an average of 26 paid orders per vehicle per day during the nine-day CNY holiday. All these records reflect surging user demand for Pony.ai's Robotaxi services and its solid operational capability.
The achievements have solidified Pony.ai's large-scale commercial deployment of autonomous driving technology. As momentum continues to build, the Company will continue to expand fleet size and operational coverage, bringing safe and reliable autonomous mobility to a broader user base.
About Pony AI Inc.
Pony AI Inc. (“Pony.ai”) (NASDAQ: PONY; HKEX: 2026), founded in 2016, is a global leader in achieving large-scale mass production and commercialization of autonomous driving technology. Pony.ai is committed to delivering safe, advanced, and reliable autonomous driving technology and solutions. At the heart of Pony.ai’s strategy is its proprietary world model PonyWorld and its Virtual Driver technology. Together, they power the development and scaling of its Robotaxi services, Robotruck services, and licensing and applications businesses. With operations spanning China, Europe, East Asia, the Middle East, and beyond, Pony.ai stands among a select few companies globally to achieve fully driverless commercial operations. Pony.ai has forged deep and extensive partnerships across the autonomous driving value chain, enabling it to accelerate the commercialization of autonomous driving in line with its ultimate vision: “Autonomous Mobility Everywhere.” For more information, please visit: https://ir.pony.ai.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "aims," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "likely to," and similar statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Pony.ai’s beliefs, plans, and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Pony.ai’s filings with the SEC and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and Pony.ai does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.
For investor inquiries, please contact:
Pony.ai
Investor Relations
Email: ir@pony.ai
FAQ
What record did Pony AI (PONY) report for Shenzhen during the 2026 Chinese New Year?
How many paid orders per vehicle did Pony AI (PONY) average during the 2026 CNY holiday?
Which cities did Pony AI (PONY) operate Robotaxi services in during the 2026 CNY holiday?
What drove the increase in Pony AI (PONY) Robotaxi order volumes in Shenzhen in early 2026?
Will Pony AI (PONY) expand its Robotaxi fleet after the 2026 CNY results?
