OEM News
Mercedes Drive Pilot Approved for 95 km/h with a (Lidar & System) Software Update
Mercedes-Benz has updated their Drive Pilot conditionally automated driving system and has received approval from he German Federal Motor Transport Authority for sales starting soon in Germany.
This update makes Drive Pilot the fastest system certified for L3 conditionally automated driving in a standard production vehicle. It’s optionally available on two luxury models, the S-Class and EQS. The price of Drive Pilot remains unchanged, starting at €5,950. Existing cars with Drive Pilot will get the update for free, either OTA or during a visit to the dealer. There is no need to change any vehicle components for the software update (which also brings a significative higher performance for the Lidar).
Lidar Business News
Hesai Wins Great Wall, Changan Supply Deals
Hesai Technology has secured an exclusive production contract for several vehicle models from Great Wall Motor’s Wey and Tank SUV brands. These models will feature Hesai’s ATX lidar, which is slated for mass production in 2025. The lidar will be used for the NOA (Navigation on Autopilot) feature.
Hesai also has been tapped to exclusively supply their ATX lidar for Changan Automobile’s new intelligent driving platform. This collaboration involves more than ten vehicle models across multiple Changan brands, with planned orders exceeding 1.5 million units within the next few years. This past October, Changan’s Nevo E07 model was launched with two Hesai AT128 lidars.
Mobileye AV Platform Will Use Innoviz Lidar
Innoviz lidars will be integrated into the Mobileye Drive™ platform—an autonomous driving system used for various applications, with trials under way in Europe, North America, and Asia. Production will begin in 2026. This collaboration aims to improve the autonomous performance of vehicles through the combination of Innovis lidars, imaging radars, and Mobileye high-resolution cameras.
Aurora Opens Bozeman Lidar Plant; Volvo Starts Texas Truck Tests
Aurora Innovation has opened a new research and testing center to develop their FMCW lidar technology. The 78,000-ft2 (7,250-m2) facility, in Bozeman at Montana State University, will be early used to develop Aurora’s FirstLight technology, which emerged from the acquisition of Blackmore Sensors and Analytics in 2019. FirstLight uses FMCW lidar for long-range detection, integrated with the Aurora Driver system with high-resolution cameras and imaging radar. Aurora is working with Volvo and DHL to test the system on Texas roads, and plans to begin commercial operations in April.
Camera Business News
Subaru, Onsemi in Image Sensor Pact
Subaru is partnering with Onsemi to improve the automaker’s EyeSight driver assistance system using Onsemi’s Hyperlux AR0823AT image sensor. This collaboration aims to enhance ‘AI’-based visual recognition in Subaru’s stereo camera technology. Subaru’s goal is zero fatal road accidents by 2030. The EyeSight advanced driver assistance system combines features such as adaptive cruise control, lane departure assist, automatic emergency steering, and more.
Radar Business News
NXP, Bitsensing in Scalable Radar Pact
Bitsensing, a provider of advanced radar solutions, has entered a MoU with NXP Semiconductors to offer high-performance, scalable radar systems across automotive, smart cities, robotics, healthcare and beyond. The partnership will combine NXP’s advanced radar chipsets with Bitsensing’s radar hardware and software. Bitsensing will leverage NXP’s radar chips (SAF85xx automotive radar one-chip) to develop next-generation radar solutions, supporting customers with pre-development and accelerating overall development.
CES News: Lidar Companies at CES ’25
Hokuyo @ LVCC, West Hall, Diamond Lot
The Hokuyo YLM-10LX is a state-of-the-art solid-state 3D lidar sensor tailored for industrial automation and service robotics. It incorporates Lumotive’s pioneering Light Control Metasurface technology.
Integrated Quantum Photonics @ LVCC, West Hall, Diamond Lot
IQP will reveal their first long-range Flash qLidar with superior characteristics built around a quantum sensor with silicon photomultiplier architecture—No mechanical moving parts, 1 laser + 1 sensor, 76 × 46 × 41mm size. It offers 400-meter range, dynamic frame rate up to 2 kHz, and overall resolution 1000H × 128V.
Lidwave @ LVCC, West Hall, Diamond Lot
Lidwave’s groundbreaking Odem 4D Sensor has been honoured with a CES Innovation Award in the Imaging category. Find an article about it later in this newsletter.
Solidvue @ LVCC West Hall Booth 3574
Solidvue is the only lidar sensor IC fabless company in South Korea. Since establishment in 2020, the company has been continuously developing prototype whole-range lidar sensor ICs for short, medium, and long distances.
Find an article on their high-resolution lidar Sensor IC later in this newsletter.
SOS Lab @ LVCC West Hall Booth 4124
SOS Lab is a 2025 CES Innovation Award winner in Vehicle Tech & Advanced Mobility. Their ML-U is a cameralike lidar sensor that independently generates depth data and colour images. Deep learning is used to colorize infrared intensity data by combining it with depth and camera reference data.
Aeva @ LVCC, West Hall Booth 6900
Aeva will present their future of automated vehicle technology powered by their FMCW 4D lidar for passenger cars and commercial trucks. Their newest long-range high-resolution sensor for mass production automotive applications will also be on display.
AutoL @ LVCC, West Hall Booth 6760
AutoL is a lidar company for autonomous driving systems with a mission to popularize autonomous driving. They will be showing their solutions for lidar pain points such as size, durability, and price.
Cepton / Koito @ LVCC, West Hall Booth 6522
Cepton, now integrated in Koito, provides lidar-based solutions for a range of markets such as automotive (ADAS/AV), smart cities, and smart industrial applications. Cepton’s patented micro motion technology-based lidars enable reliable, scalable and cost-effective solutions.
Hesai @ LVCC, West Hall Booth 6824
Hesai will premiere their newest model, a mini high-performance 3D lidar, during a press conference at CES on 7 January. The new lidar combines high resolution and low power consumption in a compact, lightweight design.
Innoviz @ LVCC, West Hall Booth 4216
Innoviz will present live demonstrations of their latest lidar technology including both short- and long-range lidars, and showcase the BMW i7 and the Volkswagen ID.Buzz vehicles equipped with Innoviz lidar.
Itops Automotive @ LVCC, West Hall Booth 6375
Itops Automotive delivers top-tier, customized lidar solutions through relentless R&D, partnering with leading robotics and automation companies. They design and manufacture cutting-edge components such as actuators, sensors, and lidars to enhance vehicle safety, comfort, and efficiency.
Robosense @ LVCC, West Hall Booth 6700
RoboSense delivers sensors and solutions that harness the power of three core technology areas: ‘AI’ algorithms, chips, and hardware for global automakers, tier-1 suppliers, robotics, and other related industries.
Seyond @ LVCC West Hall Booth 5060
Seyond will show its Falcon K (ultra-long range of over 500m) and Robin E1X (long-range sensor with a wide FoV of 120° × 20°). Visitors can experience live the Falcon K and the Robin W point clouds.
CES News: Camera Companies at CES ’25
Thermoeye @ LVCC Venetian Expo Hall G 63416
The TMC Edge is a state-of-the-art thermal camera with ‘AI’, designed for applications in autonomous driving, robot, drone, and more. It’s the world’s first thermal edge ‘AI’ camera capable of performing distance estimation and object detection simultaneously.
Intopix @ LVCC Venetian Expo Hall A-D 50752
Intopix is an innovative technology provider of low power, low complexity image processing and video compression IP-cores. At CES, they will be showing how image sensors and cameras, automotive ADAS, mobile devices, 8K displays, and wireless video devices benefit from their technologies.
Litbig @ LVCC Venetian Expo Hall A-D 50017
Litbig is an innovator in advanced embedded systems for automotive safety and entertainment. Specializing in ‘AI’ and camera vision technologies, they develop Vision ADAS solutions for enhanced safety, among others.
Mcnex @ LVCC West Hall 6166
Mcnex develops and manufactures image technology solutions in consumer product and automotive applications. Based in South Korea, Mcnex provides all sorts of camera solutions for various applications.
Stradvision@ LVCC Westgate Hospitality suite
Stradvision provides SVNet ‘AI’-based vision perception software using camera sensors for various applications in the automotive industry. SVNet is being deployed on vehicle models in partnership with automakers.
Toshiba @ LVCC Venitian Tower Suite 29-311
Toshiba offers a broad range of enabling technology solutions that allow OEMs, ODMs, and CMs to develop advanced integrated products for smartphones, tablets, automotive, industrial, networking products
Visionary @ LVCC Venetian Expo Hall G 61701
Listed in the 100 Most Promising ‘AI’ startups of 2023, Visionary.ai empowers cameras to capture state-of-the-art video quality in extreme low light and HDR. The software uses edge ‘AI’ to deliver results in real-time: ‘True Night Vision’, noise reduction, improved object recognition. Applications include drones, security, and automotive.
Zeiss Microoptics @ LVCC North Hall 10149
Zeiss Multifunctional Smart Glass technology enables holographic projection systems, integrated cameras in transparent media, and holographic lighting applications.
CES News: Radar companies at CES ’25
Acconeer @ LVCC Westgate Hospitality suite
Acconeer’s ultralow-power radar sensors are extremely small, just 29 mm2, and can detect distance, speed, motion, and objects up to 20 meters away. Acconeer combines low power consumption with highly accurate pulsed radar systems of coherent radar.
Altos Radar @ LVCC West Hall Booth 6874
High-performance and low-cost 4D imaging radars for high-level driver assistance systems and full autonomous driving.
Arbe @ LVCC West Hall Booth 7406
Arbe’s products propel the drive for safe hands-free driving and future autonomy. ‘AI’-powered solution boosts automaker and tier-1 perception algorithms for real-time free space mapping, redefining safety and performance.
AU @ LVCC Venetian Expo Halls A-D
AU develops millimeter-wave radar sensors for automotive sectors. Their strength lies in the detection of lifeforms, especially humans in cars..
Millilab @ LVCC South Hall 3 Booth 41008
Established in 2019, Millilab provides millimeter-wave radar total solutions that can be used in automotive electronics and IOT devices with a specialization in smart radar solutions for in-car passenger.
Smartmicro @ LVCC West Hall Booth 5066
Smartmicro has been designing, developing, and manufacturing sensor solutions for traffic management and automotive industries, for more than 27 years.
Smart Radar System @ LVCC West Hall Booth 3866
Smart Radar Systemdevelops 4D image radar technology. They integrate 3D information about surrounding objects distance, speed, and angle with height data and applies deep learning technology.
Zadar Labs @ LVCC Venetian Expo Halls G Booth 60907
Zadar Labs has developed next generation software-defined 4D imaging radar platforms. The output of their radar is an ultra-high-resolution point cloud resembling the performance of a lidar. It holds the world’s record with a human detection range of over 250 meters and a static/dynamic angular resolution of 0.35° × 0.1°.
