Uber announced its third partnership this week with China’s self-driving car company, revealing the riding giant’s appetite for global domination in the emerging Robotaxi sector.
Uber on Tuesday said it will work with Guangzhou-based Pony AI to launch Robotaxis on the Uber platform in “major markets in the Middle East” later this year, which was released on Nasdaq at a $5.25 billion valuation late last year.
The Pony partnership is Momenta and Weride a day after Uber shared plans for two other strategic deals with Chinese companies. Uber said it will work with Momenta to launch Robotaxis in European apps in 2026 and will expand to 15 cities in the Middle East and Europe over the next five years. Uber and Weride have already launched commercial Robotaki services in Abu Dhabi.
The deal with Pony, Momenta and Weride will be added to Uber’s growth list for over 15 self-driving vehicle partnerships, ranging from rides, delivery and freight. Most of Uber’s partners, including Waymo and May Mobility, are based in the US, with several outliers like the UK way.
Uber is reassuring that there is still room for expansion as it faces threats from companies like Tesla, which are set to launch its first Robotaxi service in Austin next month, federal probes for misleading subscription practices, and the threat of anticipated consumer spending as expected in 2025 moves rapidly to move faster.
Combining it with Chinese companies may be a sensible way to achieve that growth. Chinese AV companies are already expanding internationally. With the exception of Abu Dhabi, Werid operates commercial services in Beijing and France, testing them in several other markets in China and Europe. Pony offers paid Robotaxi rides in three Chinese cities and recently began testing in Luxembourg.
Waymo, the only AV company in the US that operates the only Chromertless Less service, is just beginning to collect data in Tokyo.
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The partnership between Pony and Uber will open a company in the Middle Eastern market. Uber already had a strong presence in countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. This was an expansion in 2019 when Uber acquired Middle Eastern rival Careem.
In a press release, Pony said the goal of Uber’s trading is to expand its deployment to additional “international markets” in the future.
Like other Uber launches, when Pony joins the app, Uber customers have the option to make their trip possible through AV. During the first pilot phase, the vehicle will be equipped with a safety operator until the company’s full commercial launch.
Uber’s first quarter revenue call is this week. So you can get more colours, including plans for growth, such as the move to gain control over Turkish food delivery companies, and plans to navigate current challenges.