Gasgoo Daily presents a selection of the latest developments from China's automotive industry. Here are the key stories in this edition.
FAW Group, Toyota and GAC Establish New Strategic Cooperation Framework
- On October 8, 2026, FAW Group, Toyota Motor Corporation and GAC Group signed a new strategic cooperation framework agreement in Guangzhou.
- The three companies will support the two joint ventures,FAW Toyota and GAC Toyota, in improving their competitiveness and accelerating their development in electrification and intelligent vehicle technologies.
- Under the proposed transaction, GAC Group plans to issue shares to acquire China FAW Group's 50% stake in FAW Group Toyota.
- Following the transaction:
- FAW Toyota would remain an independently operated company.
- FAW Group would become a major strategic shareholder of GAC Group.
- FAW Toyota and GAC Toyota would jointly undertake functions covering R&D, procurement, production and sales.
- FAW Toyota and GAC Toyota have so far accumulated more than 23.56 million customers in China.
XPENG Names Robotaxi Service "XPENG YOYO"
- XPENG has officially named its Robotaxi business "XPENG YOYO."
- XPENG launched a dedicated Robotaxi webpage and the XPENG YOYO ride-hailing mini program. Members of the public will subsequently be invited to experience the service using invitation codes.
- XPENG said its Robotaxi system uses its proprietary Turing AI chips, second-generation vision-language-action model and AI infrastructure, connecting its Level 2 driving-assistance capabilities with Level 4 autonomous driving development.
- The production Robotaxi rolled off the line in May 2026. Employee testing began in July after XPENG completed the full process from online booking to automated pickup and drop-off.
- In August, XPENG obtained remote-testing qualifications in Guangzhou, allowing tests without a safety driver in the main driver's seat on designated Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 testing roads.
- XPENG has also conducted paid internal testing at 1 yuan per ride to verify payment and service processes. The newly launched mini program expands testing access from employees to invited external users.
Pony.ai and Uber Plan Robotaxi Road Tests in London
- On October 8, Pony.ai and Uber announced plans to introduce Pony.ai's seventh-generation Robotaxi to London, with road testing expected to begin within the next few weeks.
- London will become another European deployment location under the companies' Robotaxi partnership.
- In August 2026, Pony.ai and Uber stepped up their cooperation with a plan to deploy more than 2,000 driverless Robotaxis across five European cities.
- Zagreb, Croatia, was the first city under the plan. Its service connects central urban areas with the airport and is accessible through Uber and the local Verne app.
- Pony.ai uses a jointly operated fleet model in overseas markets, working with local partners on customer access, vehicle management and local operations. The model has also been applied to deployments in the UAE, Singapore and South Korea.
