How are Chinese autonomous-driving companies Momenta and Pony.ai expanding in Europe, and what do their latest developments reveal about China’s self-driving ambitions—including Deutsche Bank’s bullish assessment of Momenta as a leading global independent provider, its 64.5% shar

Chinese autonomy firms are using two complementary routes into Europe: Momenta is entering through automaker software integration and German regulatory validation, while Pony.ai is using Uber’s consumer platform and fleet deployment. Together, they signal that China’s leaders now seek not only domestic scale, but also credibility, capital and commercial access in highly regulated overseas markets.

• Momenta’s European opening: Germany’s KBA granted Momenta nationwide permission to test Level 4 autonomous driving on urban roads—the first Chinese company reported to receive such broad German authorization. It is a testing approval, not permission to operate paid driverless rides nationwide.

• Why investors are bullish: Deutsche Bank initiated Momenta with a “Buy” rating and HK$400 target, versus a referenced HK$291.40 close—implying roughly 37% upside. The bank’s thesis is that Momenta is a leading independent global supplier rather than merely a China-focused robotaxi operator.

• Domestic scale supporting that view: Momenta held a reported 64.5% share of China’s urban navigation-on-autopilot market, measured by sales of vehicles equipped with such systems from March 2025 through February 2026. It has partnerships with nine of the world’s 10 largest automakers; Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and GM are strategic shareholders.

• Capital for expansion: Momenta raised about HK$5.89 billion ($751 million) in its Hong Kong IPO, priced at the top of its range. This gives it funding to develop autonomy software and advance robotaxi efforts while its automaker relationships create a route into production vehicles.

• Pony.ai’s scale-up model: Pony.ai and Uber plan to deploy more than 2,000 Level 4 robotaxis across five European cities: the existing Zagreb service plus four additional cities. The deal builds on their partnership from 2025 and uses Uber’s marketplace to reach riders.

• What this reveals about China’s ambitions: The push is becoming less about isolated technology demonstrations and more about exportable industrial capability—Chinese autonomy stacks validated by European regulators, embedded with global carmakers, financed in international markets, and distributed via platforms such as Uber. But commercial rollout remains conditional on local permits, safety validation, fleet operations and public acceptance; announced vehicle totals are targets, not vehicles already operating.