Great Wall Motors joins world’s first partnership about pure solid-state LiDAR mass production

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On August 27, China's biggest SUV maker Great Wall Motors (GWM) inked an agreement with LiangDao Intelligence and Ibeo Automotive Systems GmbH (Ibeo Automotive) for a strategic cooperation to promote autonomous driving technologies into mass production.

According to LiangDao Intelligence's WeChat account, the latest collaboration is the world's first-of-its-kind cooperative project themed the volume production of pure solid-state LiDAR, and is also honored the unprecedented cooperation focusing on the mass production of automotive-grade pure solid-state LiDAR.

(Photo source: LiangDao Intelligence)

According to the agreement, Ibeo Automotive will provide GWM with its new-generation 4D solid-state LiDAR “ibeoNEXT”, which is to be used as a core part of the automaker's self-driving sensor system.

Besides, LiangDao Intelligence will be responsible for the testing and evaluation of the ibeoNEXT and environmental sensing system to be applied in mass production.

As part of GWM's deployment in intelligent driving, its self-developed “i-Pilot” automated driving system has been further upgraded, the automaker said in its newly-issued semi-annual report.

（Photo source: GWM's WeChat account)

Besides, the SUV manufacturer and eight strategic partners, namely, Tencent, Alibaba, Baidu, China Telecom, China Unicom, China Mobile, Huawei and Qualcomm, jointly built a GTO (GreatWall Totally Online) smart ecosystem and developed, based on 5G+AI technology, experience-driven robots that offer users full-lifecycle mobility services.

Since 2012, GWM has completed the R&D of its fourth-generation IoV (Internet of Vehicles) product, and is currently working on the fifth-generation, the automaker revealed in a presentation about its 2019 interim result.

To speed up the landing of its intelligent driving ambition, GWM forged a strategic partnership with China Unicom, one of China's three state-owned mobile carriers, in April 2019. Moreover, at the Auto Shanghai 2019, the automaker launched the “Great Wall Motors 5G IoV” development plan under the joint efforts of China Unicom, Qualcomm and Quectel.

Prior to the new tripartite partnership, LiangDao Intelligence and Ibeo Automotive struck a deal as early as last November for an in-depth cooperation in the automotive LiDAR market.