Autonomous driving segments include self-driving taxis, smart trucks, and automated parking—these are the three major directions.

The business models of autonomous driving companies are becoming more established and clearer, while investments in autonomous driving continue to grow.

Autonomous driving was one of the hot topics discussed at the 2021 World Intelligent Automotive Conference today. As noted by a reporter from First Finance, autonomous driving companies have already delved into niche markets, with driverless taxis, smart logistics trucks, and automated parking emerging as the three major growth areas. According to Han Xu, founder and CEO of Wenyuan Zhixing, the company has been conducting safety tests for driverless taxis in Guangzhou's Huangpu District since 2019. Recently, Wenyuan Zhixing even launched L4-level driverless minibuses and autonomous logistics vehicles. In June of this year, Wenyuan Zhixing’s self-driving cars played a crucial role in transporting anti-epidemic supplies in Guangzhou. Currently, Wenyuan Zhixing has obtained autonomous driving test licenses in both China and the United States.
Wen Yuan Zhi Xing, in collaboration with Ruqi Travel and Baiyun Taxi Company, is set to launch a pilot program for Robotaxis—self-driving taxis—across Guangzhou, featuring a fleet of over 300 autonomous vehicles. Han Xu predicts that in the future, 68% of people will live in urban areas, and self-driving taxis and minibuses will play a crucial role in helping metropolitan regions like the Greater Bay Area tackle public transportation challenges. Li Hengyu, Vice President of Pony.ai and Head of the Truck Business Unit, revealed that Pony.ai has already begun trial operations of its self-driving taxis in Guangzhou’s Nansha district, while actively expanding into the autonomous logistics truck sector—areas where the underlying technologies share significant commonalities. China’s road transport and logistics industry currently faces numerous challenges: frequent accidents, rising costs, and relatively low efficiency. Smart trucks offer promising solutions: first, autonomous driving inherently consumes less fuel compared to conventional driving; second, they help address labor shortages by reducing reliance on human drivers, thereby cutting labor costs—especially on long-haul routes, where machines could replace drivers during rest periods such as meals or sleep, boosting daily mileage and lowering overall transportation expenses; and third, they enable the formation of ultra-large-scale unmanned transport fleets, optimizing operational efficiency.
Pony.ai is collaborating with Tier-1 suppliers and truck manufacturers to develop self-driving trucks, while also partnering with multiple logistics companies to build an intelligent logistics platform and deliver related services. Li Hengyu stated that PonyTron has already secured a testing license in Beijing as well as approval for highway testing. Looking ahead, Pony.ai aims to reduce road transportation logistics costs to 40% of current levels. Next year, the company plans to roll out a fleet of 100 smart logistics trucks. Meanwhile, Zhongmu Technology unveiled its automated parking system product this November. Lu Xun, Vice President of Marketing & Branding at Zhongmu Technology and Assistant to the Chairman (CEO), highlighted that a major challenge facing mainstream smart parking solutions on the market is their inability to handle complex parking scenarios, such as multi-level or cross-floor parking situations. To address this issue, Zhongmu is adopting a strategy of minimizing core architectural components—like the vehicle-side SDK and mobile app SDK—and actively opening up these technologies to more ecosystem partners, thereby fostering greater collaboration and innovation.
As industrialization continues to gain momentum, investments in autonomous driving keep surging. After securing funding from investors such as IDG, Yutong, and the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, WenYuan Zhixing has now also attracted investment from GAC this year. Meanwhile, Pony.ai recently completed a new round of financing, bringing its total funding to an impressive $1.1 billion. Among Zongmu’s investors are Xiaomi, Changan Automobile, Junlian Capital, Tongchuang Weiye, and Fosun, among others. Liu Yan, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, noted that L2-level autonomous driving features are beginning to enter the early stages of market adoption, with penetration rates steadily increasing year by year. In recent years, Chinese companies have teamed up with local governments to pioneer innovative business models, actively exploring autonomous driving applications across a wide range of scenarios—spanning everything from consumer mobility and freight transportation to Robotaxis, automated parking, trunk logistics, unmanned last-mile delivery, heavy-load mining operations, and port logistics. These initiatives are rapidly scaling up and gaining traction. At the same time, Liu Yan emphasized that clear business models remain elusive in several key areas, including mass production of higher-level autonomous vehicles, demonstration operations of driverless technologies, the establishment of testing zones, and data-driven applications. She urged stakeholders to promote data sharing, foster application innovation, and facilitate stronger industry collaboration.

Translated from Sina Auto

Email:
info@adtfm.com

Phone:
021-20532053

Address:
2nd Floor, No. 150 Jindian Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai