Expanded partnership builds on the partnership in Zagreb and targets four additional cities in Europe.

SAN FRANCISCO and GUANGZHOU, China, Aug. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Pony AI Inc. ("Pony.ai") (NASDAQ: PONY; HKEX: 2026), a global leader in the large-scale commercialization of autonomous driving technology, and Uber Technologies, Inc. ("Uber") (NYSE: UBER), today announced an expansion of their strategic partnership, with plans to collaborate on the deployment of more than 2,000 Pony.ai Robotaxis across Europe.     

The partnership will expand from the existing commercial service in Zagreb, coming soon to the Uber platform, to four additional cities in Europe. Additional details about the rollout will be announced in phases and the expanded partnership also includes plans to deploy in the Middle East.     

The expanded agreement gives Pony.ai's joint-deployment model a clearer path to commercial scale. The model brings together three core functions required to operate Robotaxi services at scale: Level 4 (L4) autonomous driving technology, a leading mobility platform, and day-to-day fleet operations. It allows technology, platform, and fleet partners to work together in the same market, while individual partners may also take on more than one role. Vehicle funding and ownership can sit with different partners depending on the market.

Under the expanded partnership, Pony.ai will provide its L4 autonomous driving technology, rider-experience and operational expertise developed through multiple large-scale Robotaxi deployments while Uber will provide customer access through its leading global mobility platform, including booking, payment, and customer service capabilities, alongside its growing network of human drivers. Day-to-day fleet operations may be carried out by established local fleet partners selected for each market.

Pony.ai operates paid, fully driverless Robotaxi services in China's four tier-one cities, where it has achieved city-wide breakeven unit economics in multiple markets, validating its commercially sustainable model for operating Robotaxis at scale.

For Pony.ai, the expanded partnership with Uber marks a further evolution of its growth strategy, complementing continued expansion into new markets with fleet deployments at regional scale. The collaboration dates back to May 2025, when Pony.ai and Uber first announced plans to bring Pony.ai Robotaxis onto the Uber platform in international markets. In 2026, the companies worked with Croatian mobility company Verne to launch Europe's first commercial Robotaxi service in Zagreb, with Verne serving as the local fleet owner and operator.

"This expanded agreement marks an important new phase in the partnership between Pony.ai and Uber. It reflects our shared commitment to bringing safe, reliable Robotaxi services to more European cities," said Dr. James Peng, Founder and CEO of Pony.ai. "By combining Pony.ai's proven autonomous driving technology and operational know-how with Uber's global mobility platform and extensive market reach, we aim to build sustained commercial operations at scale across Europe and beyond."

"The next chapter for autonomous mobility is about moving from individual launches to repeatable commercial scale," said Sarfraz Maredia, Global Head of Autonomous Mobility & Delivery at Uber. "Together with Pony.ai, we're combining advanced autonomous technology with Uber's hybrid platform, on-the-ground experience, and operational excellence, to build a model that can quickly and reliably expand across cities."    

About Pony AI Inc.

Pony AI Inc. is a global leader in achieving large-scale commercialization of autonomous mobility. Leveraging its vehicle-agnostic Virtual Driver technology, a full-stack autonomous driving technology that seamlessly integrates Pony.ai's proprietary software, hardware and services, Pony.ai is developing a commercially viable and sustainable business model that enables the mass production and deployment of vehicles across transportation use cases. Founded in 2016, Pony.ai has expanded its presence across China, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and other regions, ensuring widespread access to its advanced technology.

About Uber Technologies, Inc.

Uber's mission is to create opportunity through movement. We started in 2010 to solve a simple problem: how do you get access to a ride at the touch of a button? More than 79 billion trips later, we're building products to get people closer to where they want to be. By changing how people, food, and things move through cities, Uber is a platform that opens up the world to new possibilities.

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.

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Bundespräsident Frank-Walter Steinmeier hat den Festakt zum Tag der Deutschen Einheit in Bremen für eine eindringliche Warnung vor der Gefährdung der Demokratie genutzt. In seiner voraussichtlich letzten großen Rede zu diesem Anlass sprach er von einer angefochtenen demokratischen Ordnung und mahnte, radikale Kräfte entschieden abzuwehren. Angesichts wachsender Erfolge populistischer und extremistischer Parteien sieht Steinmeier nicht nur Freiheit und Demokratie, sondern auch die innere Einheit des Landes unter Druck.

Steinmeier verwies darauf, dass inzwischen „ein Viertel und mehr“ der Wähler mit ihrer Entscheidung deutlich machten, dass sie sich von wichtigen Grundentscheidungen der Bundesrepublik abwenden. Diese Entwicklung werde begleitet von „unerträglicher politischer Demagogie“, in der Menschen verhöhnt und bedroht würden. Die Diskreditierung demokratischer Verfahren, die Radikalisierung der Öffentlichkeit und die Diffamierung des Kompromisses seien Warnsignale, die man nicht ignorieren dürfe. Populistische Parteien aller Couleur destabilisierten die parlamentarische Demokratie, sagte er.

Deutliche Kritik übte der Bundespräsident an der Rolle der sozialen Medien. Eine „Flut der Manipulationen und der Lügen“ trage zur „schrillen Emotionalisierung“ des politischen Diskurses bei und befeuere extremistische Tendenzen. Steinmeier forderte, die demokratische Streitkultur zu verteidigen und den Kompromiss wieder als Stärke zu begreifen. Ob die Demokratie in Deutschland einer Entwicklung ähnlich der Weimarer Republik entgegengehe, sei nicht entschieden – man habe es „in der Hand“.

Zugleich erinnerte Steinmeier an die historischen Grundlagen des Feiertags. Vor 36 Jahren sei mit der deutschen Wiedervereinigung eine „tiefe Wunde“ geheilt worden, die das Land zuvor über Jahrzehnte in einem „unnatürlichen Zustand der inneren Spaltung“ gehalten habe. Der Tag der Deutschen Einheit sei Anlass, die erste friedliche Revolution für Freiheit und Demokratie in Deutschland und ihre Protagonisten im Gedächtnis zu behalten. Die Errungenschaften der Einheit dürften von aktuellen Krisen nicht überdeckt werden, mahnte Steinmeier, und rief die Bürger dazu auf, sich aktiv für die liberale Demokratie einzusetzen. Er zeigte sich überzeugt, dass diese den aktuellen Belastungen standhalten könne: „Wir sind so viel stärker, als wir glauben.“