#Hesai Technology #lidar solutions #ADAS Market

Hesai Technology's Ambitious Plans for 2026 Lidar Production

In a significant move showcased at CES 2026, Hesai Technology (NASDAQ: HSAI; HKEX: 2525), a leading player in the lidar solutions industry, announced that it plans to double its annual production capacity from 2 million units to over 4 million units. This expansion is a direct response to the burgeoning demand for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and robotics lidar.

With the increasing adoption of lidar technology in various sectors, Hesai aims to set a new industry standard by scaling its production capabilities. The company achieved a milestone in 2025 by becoming the first automotive lidar provider to surpass 2 million cumulative deliveries. To stay ahead of the curve and meet the rising demand, Hesai is rapidly expanding its manufacturing operations.

Manufacturing Capabilities and New Facilities

Hesai's growth strategy is underpinned by its robust in-house manufacturing capabilities. By establishing a comprehensive R&D and production center, the company has built a solid framework for mass production while ensuring consistent quality and efficiency. In this pursuit, Hesai has developed four generations of proprietary Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), enhancing product reliability and enabling swift iterations.

Notably, the company's fully automated production lines feature an impressive 10-second cycle time, significantly optimizing the manufacturing process. Further amplifying its production capacity is Hesai's new factory in Bangkok, Thailand, which is currently under construction and slated to begin operations in early 2027. This new facility is expected to further bolster Hesai's capabilities to meet the escalating worldwide demand for lidar solutions.

David Li, Co-founder and CEO of Hesai, emphasized the company's mission: “Our customers are scaling faster than ever, and we are scaling with them.” By expanding production capacity to over 4 million units and establishing a new facility in Thailand, Hesai is enhancing its global manufacturing footprint to ensure reliable mass production, delivering high-quality lidar solutions that meet the automotive industry's stringent demands.

Transforming Automotive Safety with Lidar Technology

The ADAS market is witnessing exponential growth, with lidar becoming an essential safety feature in modern vehicles. Dubbed as an “invisible seatbelt,” lidar technology helps in preventing accidents before they happen. Recent statistics reveal that vehicles equipped with lidar can reduce fatal highway accidents by a staggering 90% and traffic accidents by 30% compared to systems relying solely on cameras.

The impact of this technology is evident with the rapid increase in lidar adoption within China's electric vehicle (EV) market, having reached 28%—meaning one in four EVs on the road are now equipped with lidar. As a testament to its influence, Hesai has secured design wins from 24 automotive OEMs for mass production programs, partnering with major industry leaders including Li Auto, Xiaomi, Changan, and other top automotive manufacturers.

Moreover, Hesai's new ATX lidar has accumulated orders exceeding 4 million units from leading OEMs, with mass production and deliveries expected to commence in April 2026. As the industry adapts to new safety regulations, each L3 vehicle is now anticipated to integrate 3-6 lidar units, thereby expanding Hesai's market reach.

At CES, the company introduced its next-generation L3 automotive lidar suite, featuring the long-range ETX and short-range FTX lidars. This suite is specifically designed for easy vehicle integration, with the ETX optimized for behind-the-windshield installations and the FTX focusing on short-range blind-spot detection.

Supporting the Robotics Revolution

Beyond the automotive sector, the robotics industry is on the cusp of significant advancement, driven by recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence. As robots begin to move beyond controlled environments into diverse real-world applications, having a reliable and high-precision perception system becomes paramount. Hesai’s lidar is integral in these advancements, effectively serving as the