Pony.ai valuated at $8.5b

Autonomous driving vehicles developed by Pony.ai. [Photo/gznsnews.com.cn]

In its most recent valuation, Pony.ai was valued at $8.5 billion, an increase of 65 percent from its previous valuation, showing investors' trust in Pony.ai.

Pony.ai has made many technical and commercial breakthroughs in robotaxis and smart logistics.

This most recent round of financing will be used by the company for team expansion, technology development, scaling-up, as well as global testing and operations.

"In 2021, Pony.ai has made many great achievements. We are also confident that we will rapidly promote autonomous driving technology globally in 2022," said Peng Jun, co-founder and CEO of Pony.ai.

"Our technological strength is a key factor for us getting support from investors. Pony.ai's 'virtual driver' can even perform better than human drivers. Pony.ai is rapidly advancing the commercialization and mass production of autonomous driving," said Lou Tiancheng, co-founder and CEO of Pony.ai.