U.S.-based sensing and perception technology company Aeva has secured an exclusive global production contract with a major European passenger automaker to supply lidar systems for Level 3 automated driving, marking a significant commercial milestone for its next-generation 4D sensing technology.
The multi-year agreement, which will run into the next decade, follows a joint development programme and will see Aeva’s Atlas Ultra 4D lidar deployed across the automaker’s global vehicle platforms, including internal combustion, hybrid and battery-electric models. Aeva said the customer ranks among the world’s top 10 passenger vehicle manufacturers and will standardise its Level 3 automated driving system on Aeva’s sensing and perception technology for markets outside China.
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With the selection, the European automaker becomes the first major passenger car manufacturer to transition from conventional three-dimensional time-of-flight lidar to Aeva’s frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) 4D lidar platform for series production vehicles. The system measures both distance and velocity simultaneously, enabling more precise perception at highway speeds.
“After months of close collaboration, we’re honored to be selected by an industry leading automaker with millions of vehicles in annual production worldwide, for a long-term agreement to directly supply lidar technology for its global series production vehicles,” said Soroush Salehian, co-founder and chief executive of Aeva.
The passenger vehicle programme adds to Aeva’s existing exclusive long-range lidar production agreement with Daimler Truck. The company said it expects to share additional details about the European automaker programme in early 2026.
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The commercial win follows a series of strategic developments for Aeva. In November, the company said it received a $100 million investment from funds managed by Apollo through the purchase of 4.375% convertible senior notes, aimed at supporting commercial scaling of its FMCW 4D lidar technology. In October, Aeva also released AevaScenes, an open-access dataset combining 4D lidar with synchronised camera data to support research in autonomous vehicle perception, including object tracking, velocity measurement and lane-level annotation.
Level 3 automated driving enables hands-off operation under defined conditions, and automakers are increasingly turning to higher-performance sensing platforms as they prepare for broader deployment of advanced driver assistance and automated driving features in both premium and mass-market vehicles.