Pony.ai AION robot taxi was exhibited at the 21st Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition held at the National Convention and Exhibition Center in Shanghai on April 23, 2025.
Wang Zhao | AFP | Getty Images
autonomous driving companies pony eye and we ride The companies have received approval from China’s securities regulator for a secondary listing in Hong Kong as they aim to raise capital and continue their global expansion.
The China Securities Regulatory Commission announced Tuesday that both companies have applied to issue and list shares in Hong Kong. Chinese companies seeking to list overseas will need to apply to the CSRC in advance, giving regulators the final say on whether they can list overseas.
Pony.ai and WeRide, which are already listed in the US, will each be able to issue about 102 million new shares in the Hong Kong listing.
According to a report from Reuters, WeRide has hired Morgan Stanley and China International Capital Corporation for its listing. Neither WeRide nor Pony.ai immediately responded to CNBC’s inquiries about their IPO plans.
Pony.ai CEO James Peng told CNBC in July that the company was considering listing in Hong Kong. Mr Peng said Hong Kong would be in “proximity” to the company’s home market of China, which would attract the interest of many investors.
Guangzhou-based Pony.ai and WeRide are among a growing wave of Chinese companies seeking secondary listings in Hong Kong in what has been a year of recovery for the city’s IPO market.
The Chinese company’s intention to double-list also comes as self-driving car companies expand into new regions, including the Middle East, Europe, and Asian countries such as Singapore, most of which have yet to receive full approval for robotaxi operations.
In the U.S., the companies are partnering with Uber and hope to bring robotaxis to the company’s ride-hailing platform once approval is received. China has already started operating fully autonomous robotaxis in major cities, and they can be summoned through their respective apps.
These companies have smaller autonomous vehicle fleets compared to more established players such as: BaiduChina’s Apollo alphabetWaymo in America
Pony.ai launched its IPO in November at a price of $13 per share. Since then, the stock price has increased more than 60%. WeRide listed on the Nasdaq in October 2024 at an IPO price of $15.50 per share, but its stock price has fallen more than 30% to date.
