Production-ready autonomous HD truck coming in 2026

According to Sany, the 1+4 autonomous platooning solution can reduce per-kilometer freight costs by 29%. (Photo: Sany Group)

Sany Group announced that the fourth-generation autonomous heavy-duty truck co-developed by Sany Heavy Truck and Pony.ai, a Chinese autonomous vehicle technology company, is nearing mass production readiness, with the first batch set for commercial operation next year.

Since forming a strategic partnership in 2022, Sany’s drive-by-wire chassis and vehicle development has been aligned with Pony.ai’s autonomous driving technology to achieve what they described as “the world’s first ‘5G + autonomous driving + electrification’ deployment for heavy-duty trucks, advancing from prototypes to full mass production.”

The latest generation model will be equipped with a battery pack rated over 400 kWh. Its redundant drive-by-wire chassis design has been rigorously tested for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and extreme temperatures, said Sany, establishing “a comprehensive protection system that raises autonomous freight safety standards.”

Based on pilot estimations, the “1+4” autonomous platooning solution – one manned lead truck followed by four unmanned trucks – is capable of reducing per-kilometer freight costs by 29% and increase operating profit by 195%. The solution is intended to support logistics in optimizing smart-port operations.

Zhou Wanchun, vice president of Sany Group and general manager of Sany Heavy Truck Marketing, said mass production of the fourth-generation autonomous truck is “a pivotal juncture in SANY’s digitalization and decarbonization journey.”

“Our industry-leading fully redundant drive-by-wire chassis provides a reliable hardware foundation for autonomous driving,” he said. “Through deep collaboration with Pony.ai, we are accelerating the scaled adoption of intelligent logistics equipment and delivering unprecedented gains in operational efficiency.”