International capital continues to show growing interest in China's autonomous driving sector. Recently, Cathie Wood's ARK Invest flagship fund disclosed that it purchased $12.9 million worth of Pony AI Inc (PONY.US) shares on August 12, representing 36.3% of the fund's active buying volume that day. This marks Wood's first investment in a Chinese L4 autonomous driving company and makes Pony AI one of only six Chinese stocks among ARK's 120 holdings, alongside Taiwan Semiconductor, Baidu (BIDU-SW), BYD Company (BYD COMPANY), and others.

ARK fund holdings as of August 13 showed the purchase of 899,000 Pony AI shares on August 12, coinciding with the company's Q2 earnings release. Market analysts suggest that Pony AI's rapid progress in Robotaxi mass production and commercialization has attracted Wood and ARK's attention.

Pony AI founder and CEO James Peng stated that the seventh-generation automotive-grade Robotaxi costs 70% less than the previous generation. Over 200 units have been mass-produced and delivered, with the Robotaxi fleet exceeding 500 vehicles. The company plans to deploy 1,000 Robotaxi vehicles by year-end. Additionally, the new model has obtained L4 testing permits in four major Chinese cities and is steadily progressing toward achieving positive unit operating margins for individual vehicles in 2025-2026.

Pony AI is optimizing its business model through multiple initiatives. Wood has previously noted that "the success of Robotaxi depends on whether the cost model can work." Peng revealed that the company is improving the "personnel-to-vehicle" remote monitoring ratio, with individual staff members capable of simultaneously supervising dozens of vehicles, while continuously reducing vehicle insurance costs. These measures are expected to significantly improve Robotaxi's unit economics before year-end.

With accelerated scaling and continuous technological iteration, the company is positioned to lead China's autonomous driving industry toward a critical inflection point for commercial breakthroughs.

Following Pony AI's Q2 earnings release, multiple domestic and international institutions including Goldman Sachs, UBS, Daiwa Securities, HTSC, and CITIC Securities issued "buy" ratings in their August 13 research reports. Goldman Sachs provided a $24.5 target price, implying approximately 54.5% upside potential from the August 15 closing price of $15.86.

This investment is not Wood's first foray into Robotaxi concept stocks, as her investment strategy focuses on long-term holdings of high-growth technology stocks. As early as March this year, ARK Fund increased positions in Tesla and Baidu, betting on autonomous driving business growth potential. In its latest "ARK Invest Big Ideas 2025" report, Robotaxi is identified as one of the most disruptive industries over the next five years. The report predicts that by 2030, the global Robotaxi market could exceed $10 trillion with fleet sizes potentially reaching 50 million vehicles.

In terms of market performance, Pony AI has become a benchmark enterprise in China's autonomous driving sector. As the only company operating fully unmanned paid services in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, its operational area exceeds 2,000 square kilometers, with service hours extended to 24 hours in some cities, gradually forming a commercial closed loop for Robotaxi operations.

Pony AI's Q2 Robotaxi registered users increased 136% year-over-year, while passenger fare revenue grew over 300% year-over-year. Meanwhile, acceptance of autonomous driving in tier-one cities continues to rise, with users increasingly sharing experience videos and posts about "autonomous driving" and "Robotaxi" on domestic social platforms, generating significant discussion.

Beyond ARK, international capital is forming consensus around Pony AI investments. The latest 13F filings show that at least 14 top international institutions increased their holdings in the company during Q2, with UK-based Baillie Gifford, known for long-term bets on technology growth stocks, establishing a new 7.137 million share position. Baillie Gifford has successfully invested in Tesla (TSLA.US), Tencent, and Alibaba (BABA-W). Fidelity Investments, Wellington Management, and other mainstream funds have also established positions in Pony AI.

Notably, after the company's stock lockup expiration, major shareholders including largest strategic investor Toyota have not reduced their holdings, highlighting long-term confidence.