Pony.ai Unveils Gen-4 Level 4 Robotruck Built With GAC Commercial Vehicle at IAA
Pony.ai has unveiled a Level 4 autonomous heavy-duty truck built on GAC Commercial Vehicle's T9 battery-electric platform, with volume production set to begin later this year.
- 70%
- 30%
- 10%
- 9 lidars, 3 millimeter-wave radars, 13 cameras
What Happened
At IAA Transportation 2026 in Hannover, Germany, Pony AI Inc. unveiled a new Level 4 autonomous heavy-duty truck developed in collaboration with GAC Commercial Vehicle. The vehicle is one of the models in Pony.ai's fourth-generation Robotruck lineup and is built on GAC Commercial Vehicle's T9 battery-electric heavy-duty truck platform. Volume production is scheduled to begin later this year, with the vehicles to be deployed in long-haul freight, dedicated-route logistics and port transportation. Pony.ai said the global debut advances its effort to bring the Gen-4 Robotruck platform into mass production and commercial deployment.
- Fully redundant steering, braking, communications, power supply, computing and sensing architectures
- Fully automotive-grade autonomous driving kit (ADK) with nine lidars, three millimeter-wave radars and 13 cameras
- 360-degree sensing coverage with no blind spots
- Same domain controller as Pony.ai's seventh-generation (Gen-7) Robotaxis
- Reduced 70% vs. previous generation
- Expected to fall 30%
- Expected down 10% vs. conventional trucks
“The global debut of the T9 autonomous heavy-duty truck with GAC Commercial Vehicle marks another important step in accelerating the mass production and commercial deployment of Pony.ai's Robotrucks. Looking ahead, we will deepen our collaboration with GAC Commercial Vehicle, continue advancing volume production and deployment of the T9 Robotrucks, and bring our jointly developed autonomous trucking solutions to markets around the world.”
Pony.ai begins developing Robotrucks
Pony.ai and GAC Commercial Vehicle sign a strategic cooperation agreement
The companies complete vehicle testing and validation ahead of the model's formal launch
Global debut of the new Level 4 autonomous heavy-duty truck at IAA Transportation 2026
The new model extends Pony.ai's longstanding partnership with GAC Group from Robotaxi into Robotruck. Pony.ai says it is advancing its Gen-4 Robotrucks toward mass production while working with vehicle manufacturers and logistics operators across long-haul freight, bulk commodity transportation, port logistics and urban delivery. The company plans to expand its Robotruck business internationally, including entering markets in Europe and the Middle East over the next two years, building on technology and commercial experience from its China operations and the overseas operating experience of its Robotaxi business. Pony.ai says it currently has Robotaxi operations and partnerships in markets including the UAE, Qatar, Croatia, Luxembourg, Singapore and South Korea, and applies the same underlying Virtual Driver technology across Robotaxis, heavy-duty trucks and light-duty trucks.
Previously from Pony.ai Inc.
Pony.ai's plan to take its Robotruck business overseas builds on earlier Robotaxi moves in the same regions. In September 2026, Pony.ai and Verne began fully driverless Robotaxi test rides with passengers on public roads in Zagreb, described as a European first, along a 22-kilometer route to Franjo Tuđman Airport Zagreb. Days earlier, Pony.ai highlighted progress on its fare-charging Doha robotaxi service, with Qatar's transport ministry praising safety and the company showing Gen-7 vehicles running without safety operators.
- Pony.ai and Verne Start Fully Driverless Robotaxi Test Rides in Zagreb
- Pony.ai Highlights Doha Robotaxi Progress, Shows Driverless Gen-7 Vehicles at Qatar Forum
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Pony.ai Inc.'s official releases.
Why this matters
The debut shows Pony.ai pushing autonomous driving from robotaxis into heavy freight, with the trucks headed for long-haul, dedicated-route and port work. Pony.ai says cheaper sensors and lower energy use would cut costs for freight operators, and it plans to take the Robotruck business into Europe and the Middle East within two years.
Terms in This Story
- Level 4 (L4)
- A high level of driving automation in which the vehicle can perform the driving task without human intervention under defined conditions.
- Robotruck
- A self-driving truck designed to haul freight without a human driver.
- Drive-by-wire
- A vehicle control setup in which functions such as steering and braking are operated by electronic signals instead of mechanical linkages.
- Bill of materials
- An itemized list of the parts and materials that make up a product, used to work out its cost.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.