This AV Company Claims to Have Solved What Tesla, Waymo, and Cruise Couldn’t (Shares Soar 32%)

So it appears that Pony.AI just did its best impression of “trust us, bro” as they’re not only rolling out their seventh-gen autonomous driving system, but claim to hit mass production by mid-2025. Wall Street, of course, yeeted the stock north of 32% after hearing a promise that sounded more realistic than Elon’s robotaxi goals—but still, there’s only one problem: No one with a functioning frontal lobe is actually convinced they can pull this off. 

(Source: Giphy) 

As we all know, the autonomous vehicle hype has already crashed and burned a few times already. Cruise went full kamikaze in San Francisco, Uber gave up entirely, and Waymo (while lightyears ahead of competitors) is still stuck in “limited rollout” limbo. So when Pony.ai says they’re ready to go full-scale with robotaxis next year, it sounds less like a revolutionary forecast and more like a desperate cry for a catalyst—especially since the stock is down 66% this year. 

(Source: IoT World) 

To be fair though, Pony did boast their “100% automotive-grade” tech, which apparently includes enough lidar and radar to make a Predator drone look like a cheap Radioshack relic. Meanwhile, they are claiming a 70% reduction in production costs compared to the last gen, thanks to cheaper sensors and a more efficient modular build. Plus, CEO James Peng is still out here saying this is the year they’ve finally cracked the code on scaling. However, all of that is great talk until you have to explain why a robotaxi slams into a bus full of nuns because a leaf blew across the road. 

(Source: StockTwits) 

Not to mention the fact that Pony is operating in China… a place where regulation can either fast-track your autonomous visions or kneecap them out of existence. “bUt wHAt iF ThEy eXpANd gLObAlLY?” Yeah, good luck. The EU only gave them a testing permit in Luxembourg, which is basically training wheels. Meanwhile, in the U.S., any real expansion hinges on whether Trump continues nuking tariffs on the Red Dragon, or Xi smooths things over at Mar-a-Lago. Which, as of right now, is a coin toss at best. 

On the other hand, thinking a little outside of the box here… the tensions might actually help Pony (in a weird way). Trump’s pro-business, anti-red tape stance could open the door for AV companies to run wild, which would heavily benefit Pony. Especially if we continue seeing a friendlier regulatory environment. However, that still doesn’t solve the hardest part: scaling robotaxis is a logistical and financial nightmare. These things don’t just need to work. The need to work reliably, cheaply, and without killing anyone. So when they say mass production by mid-2025, which let me remind you, is hurdling over a bar Tesla hasn’t even cleared yet… you can’t help but get the “sus” vibes. 

(Source: Giphy) 

Meaning, while investors are cheering in the limelight this morning, until Pony can prove that this system works in real-world chaos, no amount of mass production forecasts will keep the rally alive. Until then, all I see is another AV company yelling into the void, hoping someone is still listening—and luckily, Wall Street heard a piece of it yesterday. But, but, but… once that opening bell rings… we’ll see if Wall Street really is listening, or they just woke up with a horrible case of amnesia regarding all things Pony. 

For now though,  keep your eyes on this stonk and place your bets accordingly, friends. Until next time… 

P.S. Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know you liked getting rekt. Let’s face it, retail investors get the short end of the stick all day everyday. It’s the smart money’s world, and we are just living in it–only useful when it comes to liquidity purposes in the market. Meaning, if you’re as pissed off as I was when I found out Milli Vanilli was lip syncing the whole time, then it’s time to go from investing blind, to investing smart. Luckily for you, the key is right here as a Stocks.News premium member. Click here to see exactly how our premium members are printing while others quake in the face of today’s market chaos. 

Stocks.News holds positions in Tesla and Uber as mentioned in the article.