(Yicai) Oct. 24 -- Pony.ai has set up its first European research and development center in Luxembourg and is teaming up with Emile Weber, a leading transport provider in the country, as the Chinese self-driving startup seeks to expand its global footprint.

Established last month, the new R&D center will develop cutting-edge autonomous driving technologies, offering customized solutions for the European market, the robotaxi and robotruck operator said yesterday.

Through its tie-up with Emile Weber, Pony.ai will promote self-driving technologies and products in Luxembourg and pursue industrial cooperation, it said, citing a non-binding agreement the pair signed on the same day.

Pony.ai, which filed for an initial public offering on the Nasdaq on Oct. 18, also has R&D centers in China and the United States and has joined forces with businesses in South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates on self-driving tech and its application.

Founded in 2016, the Toyota Motor-backed firm is looking to raise as much as USD300 million from its IPO, Bloomberg News reported on Oct. 17, citing people familiar with the matter.

The firm’s income from robotaxis surged 86 percent in the first half from a year ago, while revenue from robotrucks jumped 62.4 percent, and that for its technology licensing and application services skyrocketed 10-fold, according to its IPO filing.

Annual revenue from robotrucks is in the hundreds of millions of Chinese yuan (tens of millions of US dollars), Vice President Li Hengyu, head of Pony.ai’s robotruck division, said recently.

Editor: Kim Taylor