China's Auto Market Rebounds Month on Month in August, NEVs account for a record 60.6% of newvehicle sales
·On September 10, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers released automotive industry data for August 2026.
·China produced 2.684 million vehicles and sold 2.712 million vehicles in August, up 4.3% and 4.9% month on month, respectively. Production fell 4.7% year on year, while sales declined 5.1%.
·New energy vehicle (NEV) production reached 1.653 million units, up 18.9% year on year, while sales rose 17.8% to 1.643 million units.
·NEVs accounted for a record high of 60.6% of new-vehicle sales in August.
·China exported 1.01 million vehicles during the month, up 65.3% year on year. Monthly exports exceeded one million units for the third consecutive month.
·From January to August, vehicle production and sales reached 20.255 million and 20.315 million units, respectively, both edging down year on year.
·Eight-month NEV production totaled 10.668 million units, while sales reached 10.65 million units. Both increased by more than 10% year on year, with NEVs accounting for 52.4% of cumulative vehicle sales.
Pony.ai and Verne Begin Fully Driverless Robotaxi Passenger Testing in Zagreb
·On September 10, Pony.ai and autonomous mobility provider Verne began fully driverless Robotaxi passenger testing on public roads in Zagreb, Croatia.
·The initial 22-kilometer route connects Verne's headquarters with Franjo Tuđman Airport in Zagreb's main business district.
·The driverless operating area will expand over the coming months, with the ultimate goal of covering Verne's entire service area in Zagreb.
·Under the fleet partnership, Pony.ai supplies the full-stack autonomous-driving technology, Verne manages local operations and Uber provides access through its platform.
·Since the fleet began operating in early April 2026, it has accumulated more than 200,000 kilometers, completed thousands of passenger trips and received an average passenger rating of 4.7 out of 5.
·The test fleet uses Pony.ai's seventh-generation Robotaxi, equipped with its in-house-developed Level 4 domain controller based on the NVIDIA DRIVE AGX platform and the safety-certified DriveOS operating system.
·The passenger tests have secured all required approvals and are being conducted in accordance with Croatian regulations.
WeRide Secures Spain's First Level 4 Passenger-Vehicle Operating Permit, Commercial Robotaxi service in Madrid is expected for launch in 2026
·On September 10, WeRide, Uber and AVOMO announced that they had received Spain's first Level 4 autonomous passenger-vehicle operating permit.
·Issued by Spain's Directorate-General for Traffic under the ES-AV framework, the permit authorizes vehicle deployment on public roads.
·The approval marks Spain's first national-level authorization for Level 4 Robotaxi access and clears a major regulatory hurdle for the country's first commercial Robotaxi service.
·Madrid is the fourth city included in WeRide and Uber's strategic partnership. The companies plan to expand their Robotaxi collaboration to 15 cities worldwide and deploy tens of thousands of vehicles by 2030.
·Subject to completing preparations and meeting operational and regulatory requirements, WeRide, Uber and AVOMO expect to launch commercial Robotaxi services for the public in Madrid in 2026.
·Users will be able to request a WeRide Robotaxi through the Uber app, with the service area set to expand progressively across central Madrid.
