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The story
Reports say Chinese autonomous-driving developer Pony.ai and major domestic taxi operator MK Holdings have signed a memorandum of understanding for a strategic partnership. MK has a track record of embracing new technology — it has already put Hyundai’s Nexo fuel-cell vehicles into part of its fleet — and this time it’s teaming up with Chinese self-driving tech. Reports also point to Toyota’s involvement as a funding source behind Pony.ai. On 5ch, opinions split between hope for the technology and anxiety over regulations, safety, and wariness toward China.
Big news just dropped.
MK Holdings (MK), which operates MK Taxi, announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding for a strategic partnership with Chinese autonomous-driving developer Pony.ai.
The move appears to have an eye toward rolling out autonomous driving services in Japan.
Source: jidounten-lab.com / Original article here
What people said
Can Chinese AI even follow Japanese law?
Nobody rides those except when they're too drunk to walk
If it crashes, it'll drag in people who have nothing to do with it too
That's what's happening with batteries right now too.
Strict regulations and public-road permits that never get approved — the government itself is what's blocking development here
Meanwhile in China or the US, no matter how many people a self-driving car runs over, it never gets regulated
Might actually be safer than Tesla
These robotaxis already drive through narrow, crowded Chinese shopping districts full of people who ignore traffic rules
You clearly don't know Tesla sources its tech from Tesla China
fully driverless is fine by me
You've never left Japan, have you lol
Calling it "strict regulation" is slave talk
The plain truth is bureaucrats won't let go of their vested interests
Exactly.
Regulation is just whatever bureaucrats feel like on a given day. That's why they keep taking cushy post-retirement jobs (amakudari). Regulation = bureaucrats' bread and butter.
It's true Nihon Kotsu has been expanding its business in the Kansai region, but I couldn't confirm any MK acquisition
Nihon Kotsu did acquire Teisan Kyoto Jidosha this past June, so you might be mixing that up with this
Of course other Asian countries are going to eat its lunch
Japan's already at the stage of "how much longer can this hold up?"
The poor just fall first, that's all
If the Nankai Trough earthquake hits, I don't think Japan ever recovers
The Nankai Trough quake isn't coming
Earthquakes never hit the places everyone keeps saying they'll hit, lol
My wife and I are a childless couple — all we've bought is a sturdy cart for the dog and a tent
We're evacuating to the park together with the dog
Sounds like the Celestial Dragons from One Piece (the nobles who get carried around in bubble-pods)
Might be more realistic than winning the lottery
Guess the day's coming when the yakuza start stuffing people into taxis to stage accidents (for the payout)…
Background and Key Points of This Topic
MK Holdings is a long-established Kyoto-based taxi company known for its high service quality, and it has also been proactive about adopting new technology, such as introducing Hyundai’s fuel-cell vehicles. Pony.ai is a Chinese autonomous-driving startup that already runs commercial robotaxis within China, and it appears to have set its sights on the Japanese market as part of its overseas expansion. However, what was announced this time is only a memorandum of understanding for a strategic partnership — a stage well short of an actual service launch, a distinction that’s easy to overlook. Within the thread, an unconfirmed rumor circulated that Nihon Kotsu was planning to acquire MK, which another poster disputed using publicly available information — a reminder that speculation tends to take on a life of its own around topics like this. Opinions on the autonomous-driving plan split along two different lines: assessments of the technology itself, and wariness toward the fact that a Chinese company would be running the service — two things worth reading separately rather than conflating.
*This article is composed as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (News Express+) thread “Are Chinese players set to launch robotaxis in Japan? Pony.ai teams up with Japan’s MK Taxi — Toyota as funding source“.
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