Gasgoo Munich- On May 20, Hesai Group announced that it had secured another major production nomination from a leading European automaker, shortly after revealing its Level 3 autonomous driving partnership with Mercedes-Benz.
According to Hesai, the newly awarded program involves orders exceeding one million LiDAR units and will support more than 10 vehicle models under the automaker's China joint-venture brands.
The company said the latest agreement reflects growing recognition among global automotive groups of Hesai's vertically integrated chip technology, large-scale manufacturing capabilities, and product reliability. The deal also highlights the increasing role Chinese intelligent component suppliers are playing within the supply chains of international automakers.
On May 19, alongside the release of its unaudited first-quarter 2026 financial results, Hesai disclosed that it had been selected as a strategic LiDAR partner for Mercedes-Benz and confirmed as a supplier for the automaker's future Level 3 autonomous driving vehicle programs.
Image source: Hesai
Under the newly signed supply agreement, Hesai will provide core perception hardware for Mercedes-Benz Level 3 vehicle platforms in both Europe and China. Production capacity for the project will be supported by Hesai's newly operational “Galileo” manufacturing center in Thailand.
Hesai said it has so far secured mass-production programs spanning more than 160 vehicle models across 40 automotive brands, including all of China's top-10 passenger vehicle manufacturers by sales volume.
The company also noted that it has obtained full-lineup production nominations for 2026 vehicle programs from its two largest ADAS customers.
In March 2026, Hesai's share of the Chinese passenger vehicle primary LiDAR market reached 55% by installation volume, exceeding the combined share of all competing suppliers. The company has maintained the industry's top position for 14 consecutive months, according to its statement.
Hesai began developing proprietary LiDAR ASIC technology in 2017 and has since completed five generations of chip platform development.
According to the company, it is currently the only LiDAR manufacturer capable of independently developing all seven key core components across the LiDAR technology stack, including lasers, detectors, laser drivers, TIA chips, ADC chips, digital signal processors, and controllers.
The company added that 21 of its self-developed chips have received AEC-Q automotive-grade certification, while cumulative chip shipments have surpassed 230 million units.
