Chinese robotaxi firms, including Baidu, Pony.ai, and WeRide, are expanding internationally and claim progress toward profitability as the industry nears broader adoption.

Baidu, a China-based tech company, said its Apollo Go robotaxi unit has reached per-vehicle profitability in Wuhan, where it operates over 1,000 vehicles.

Baidu also received approval to sell some robotaxi rides in China without a human safety operator, and recently received a permit to begin charging fares for fully driverless rides in Abu Dhabi under the AutoGo brand.

WeRide received a similar permit in Abu Dhabi and aims to reach profitability per vehicle by removing human staff.

Pony.ai, which plans to launch robotaxi services in Dubai in 2026 and expand to Europe and Singapore, has not yet reached profitability but targets this within the next year.

US companies such as Waymo and Amazon’s Zoox are expanding in the US; Waymo has also launched services in Tokyo and plans to enter London next year, while neither company has disclosed when their robotaxi operations might break even.

Fleet size and regulatory approval, especially around safety, remain key hurdles for all players in the sector.

🔗 Source: CNBC

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