Gasgoo Munich-On September 14, Pony.ai and GAC Commercial Vehicle jointly unveiled an L4 autonomous heavy-duty truck at IAA Transportation in Hannover, Germany, marking the global debut of the fourth-generation GAC T9 autonomous heavy truck. Pony.ai also announced its global Robotruck strategy, with plans to enter European and Middle Eastern markets within the next two years.
The new truck is part of Pony.ai's fourth-generation autonomous heavy truck lineup and is based on the GAC T9 battery-electric heavy truck. The companies plan to begin large-scale production within this year, with the vehicle initially targeting trunk logistics, dedicated-route freight and port transportation. The launch is expected to accelerate Pony.ai's commercialization of autonomous freight logistics.
The truck is equipped with Pony.ai's fourth-generation L4 autonomous driving system and GAC Commercial Vehicle's fully redundant chassis-by-wire system. Its six key systems—steering, braking, communications, power supply, computing and sensing—adopt fully redundant architectures, which are designed to support safe operation under a range of conditions.
The vehicle also features a vehicle-grade autonomous driving hardware package comprising nine LiDAR sensors, three millimeter-wave radars and 13 cameras, providing 360-degree perception around the vehicle without blind spots. It uses the same domain controller as Pony.ai's seventh-generation Robotaxi. According to Pony.ai, the bill of materials (BOM) cost of the autonomous driving package has been reduced by 70% from the previous generation, while transportation costs per ton-kilometer are expected to fall by 30%.
The new truck is also equipped with Pony.ai's energy-saving algorithms for autonomous driving and benefits from the GAC T9 electric heavy truck's low 0.4 Cd drag coefficient. The companies said the vehicle can reduce energy consumption by 10% compared with conventional trucks, supporting more efficient freight operations.
Image source: Pony.ai
The global debut of the T9 autonomous heavy-duty truck further expands cooperation between Pony.ai and GAC Group. After years of collaboration in the Robotaxi business, the two sides are now extending their partnership into Robotrucks.
Pony.ai and GAC Commercial Vehicle signed a strategic cooperation agreement on April 16 this year. Five months later, the T9 autonomous heavy truck had completed testing and validation and was formally unveiled as a production model. The companies said the accelerated development process reflects Pony.ai's experience in autonomous driving technology design and vehicle mass production, alongside GAC Commercial Vehicle's automotive engineering expertise and manufacturing capabilities.
Going forward, Pony.ai and GAC Commercial Vehicle will deepen collaboration across vehicle platforms, autonomous driving system integration and operating scenarios. Leveraging GAC Commercial Vehicle's vehicle manufacturing system and supply chain capabilities, the two companies will continue to advance mass production of the T9 autonomous heavy truck and rapidly establish production capacity at the 1,000-unit level.
The jointly developed autonomous heavy trucks will also be marketed globally, with the partners seeking to bring China-developed autonomous heavy truck solutions to logistics operators worldwide.
At IAA Transportation, Pony.ai also unveiled its global Robotruck strategy for the first time. The company plans to enter European and Middle Eastern markets with its Robotruck business within the next two years.
Pony.ai is pursuing a "China + overseas" dual-engine strategy for global expansion. Its Robotaxi business has already begun international deployment. In China, the company is centered on Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, while extending its established commercialization model to emerging first-tier cities. Overseas, it is focusing on key markets in the Middle East, Europe and East Asia, with Robotaxi-related operating partnerships established in Dubai, Singapore and Croatia.
The Hannover debut marks a key step in Pony.ai's global expansion of its Robotruck business. Following the international expansion of its Robotaxi operations, Pony.ai plans to leverage the reach of Europe's commercial vehicle industry to bring its L4 autonomous truck solutions—designed for driverless operation, full redundancy, all-weather conditions and a broad range of operating scenarios—to global markets.
Pony.ai said its Robotruck business has developed an autonomous logistics network covering trunk logistics, dedicated routes, port transportation and urban distribution as its technology and operating scenarios continue to evolve. The company said it aims to use autonomous driving technology to reduce logistics operating costs and improve transportation safety, supporting the continued intelligent transformation of the global logistics industry.
