On September 14 at IAA Transportation 2026 in Hannover, Pony.ai globally debuted its fourth-generation Level 4 autonomous heavy truck, built on GAC Commercial Vehicle's T9 pure-electric truck platform. The two companies completed vehicle testing and validation just five months after signing a strategic cooperation agreement on April 16.
The new truck is aimed at long-haul freight, dedicated logistics lines and port transportation. Thanks to sharing domain controllers and most components with Pony.ai's seventh-generation Robotaxi fleet, the autonomous-driving kit costs about 70% less than the previous generation.
Pony.ai plans to start mass production within the year and enter European and Middle East markets within two years. Vice President He Xing said the company has approached several European ports and governments to discuss road testing. Pony.ai already operates hundreds of L4 heavy trucks in China, with some lines fully driverless—another step in the global expansion of Chinese autonomous-driving technology.
Source: Reuters
