Waymo Prepares First-Ever Loan of Over $3 Billion from Pimco and Blackstone

Pony.ai and its Croatian partner Verne have launched fully driverless robotaxi trials in Zagreb, the company's first such deployment in Europe. The service runs on public roads in Croatia's capital and is integrated with the Uber app for ride hailing. The Zagreb launch extends Pony.ai's autonomous ride service beyond its existing markets and gives the company a live European proof point for its joint deployment model, in which partners fund fleets while Pony.ai concentrates on Level 4 software and operations. Pony.ai, a US based software group focused on autonomous mobility in China and overseas, has a market cap of $2.8b, placing it in the mid sized bracket of global automation players. Investors can watch upcoming disclosures on paid ride volumes, fleet count and contribution margins from joint deployments like Zagreb to see whether unit economics in new cities start to resemble improving metrics already reported in Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Tesla Inc. has lined up $30 billion of new loans and credit lines as the electric-car maker dials up investments in artificial intelligence and robotics. The company said it entered three credit agreements: a $20 billion term loan it can draw on later, an $8 billion line of credit for five years, and a $2 billion line of credit for about one year. The facilities replace a previous $5 billion of line of credit that was set to mature in January 2028, and Tesla said it doesn't currently plan to draw on any of them this year. Citigroup is administrative agent for the new delayed-draw term loan, while Wells Fargo & Co. is administrative agent for the credit lines. Tesla plans to spend more than $25 billion this year to expand its factory operations and its fleet of autonomous Cybercab robotaxis, and Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said on the company's July earnings call that it should spend on capex as fast as it can without being too wasteful. Under the new credit lines, Tesla has the option to increase commitments by as much as $4 billion, potentially increasing the facilities to $14 billion total.

Tesla has doubled the size of its Cybercab fleet operating under its Robotaxi program in Austin, Texas, to more than 100 vehicles over the weekend. The expansion adds more steering-wheel-free and pedal-free Cybercabs to Tesla's ride-hailing service, with riders reportedly receiving notifications through the Robotaxi app stating that the "Cybercab fleet has doubled: more rides available." Cybercab availability increased from 58 vehicles on Sept. 21, 2026, to 125 on Sept. 25, 2026, a substantial expansion that could help address previously lengthy wait times for Cybercab rides. Tesla began offering Cybercab rides in early September, while its broader Robotaxi service has been operating for more than a year, with initial rides starting last summer. Cybercab rides remain limited to Austin, though the vehicles have been spotted testing across several U.S. states and regions, and Tesla has indicated plans to expand deployments to additional U.S. cities in the coming months.

Tesla has postponed its Roadster reveal, originally scheduled for Thursday, October 1st in Waco, Texas, to October 15th, citing severe weather for an event that "can only be held outdoors." The company has reopened Roadster reservations requiring a $50,000 deposit, with $250,000 required for the Founders Series. The nearer-term catalyst is Tesla's third-quarter delivery report due this Friday, with Wall Street consensus near 454,000 vehicles and estimates ranging from roughly 422,000 to 482,000, while Goldman Sachs sits at 435,000 after cutting from 490,000 and Kalshi prediction markets run around 480,000. Analysts suggest a figure above 485,000 would constitute a real upside surprise, after Tesla's second-quarter actual deliveries of 480,126 beat the company-compiled consensus of 406,024 by 74,000 units. Earlier this month Goldman Sachs cut its third-quarter delivery forecast by 55,000 units on softness in China, the United States and Europe, yet the shares barely moved, signaling the market has repriced Tesla around autonomy, robotics and energy rather than car sales. Robotaxi service now operates in seven U.S. markets with Nevada approving fleet expansion to as many as 5,000 vehicles, Cybercab production has begun at Gigafactory Texas, and Full Self-Driving subscriptions reached 1.48 million, up 56% year over year.