Advertisement
SAIC, GM and VW’s Chinese partner, ties up with autonomous driving start-up Pony.ai to develop driverless vehicles
- SAIC Motor and Pony.ai will build vehicles equipped with Level 4 autonomous driving systems to promote Shanghai’s autonomous driving sector and relevant policies
- The two companies have also launched an autonomous concept vehicle based on the SAIC Marvel R model
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
Shanghai-based SAIC Motor, the Chinese partner of General Motors and Volkswagen, has tied up with autonomous driving start-up Pony.ai to develop driverless cars as the mainland’s “Motown” jostles for pole position in the sector.
Advertisement
The two companies aim to build a fleet of vehicles equipped with Level 4 (L4) autonomous driving systems to promote Shanghai’s autonomous driving sector and relevant policies, Pony said in a statement on Tuesday.
It did not provide further details, including when the cars would hit the streets.
“SAIC is a world-class automotive company, and Pony.ai is a leader in autonomous driving technology. Together we will break through tech boundaries and accelerate the development of driverless technology and promote and advance the application of driverless technology,” James Peng, Pony.ai’s co-founder and CEO, said in the statement.
Toyota-backed Pony is one of only two autonomous driving companies allowed by mainland regulators to offer robotaxi services in China, along with internet search giant Baidu.
Advertisement
L4 autonomous driving does not require human intervention in most circumstances, but the driver still has the option to take over control, according to global standardisation body SAE International.
Advertisement