Author: Andrew Xu

Huawei’s Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA) has begun internal testing of Level 3 (L3) conditional autonomous driving systems in Shenzhen, working in coordination with local transportation authorities, Chinese media outlet Cailian reported on Tuesday. According to the report, the pilot program differs from conventional research and development testing by focusing on real-world road conditions and data from everyday users. The aim is to assess system safety and product maturity while providing reference data to support the formulation of national policies governing L3 autonomous driving. See also: Huawei’s HIMA Reaches One Million Vehicle Deliveries in Under Four Years The initiative is…

Chinese bike-sharing company Hellobike has temporarily suspended its robotaxi operations in the central Chinese city of Zhuzhou following a collision involving pedestrians, local authorities said. Hellobike’s robotaxi service in Zhuzhou, located in Hunan province, has been halted with no timetable for resumption, authorities told the Southern Metropolis Daily in a report published on Monday. The suspension follows an incident on December 6, when a Hellobike autonomous vehicle collided with two pedestrians on a city street, triggering widespread discussion on Chinese social media platforms. See also: WeRide CEO Says Only Three Firms Meet China’s Level 4 Robotaxi Standard The company is…

China has granted its first Level 3 (L3) autonomous driving permits for conventional passenger vehicles, marking a policy breakthrough for the country’s smart driving industry and allowing limited deployment of conditionally automated driving systems on public roads. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said it has approved two L3-capable models, one from Changan Automobile and another from Arcfox, the electric vehicle brand of Beijing Automotive Group (BAIC Group). The approvals allow the vehicles to operate autonomously under defined conditions on selected highways and urban expressways. See also: RoboSense Secures Near One Million-Unit LiDAR Order From Dongfeng Nissan Changan’s…

Black Sesame Technologies said on Dec. 12 that it has entered into a strategic partnership with autonomous driving developer DeepRoute.ai, establishing both business and capital ties as the two companies seek to speed up the development and commercialisation of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). Under the agreement, Black Sesame Technologies will provide its next-generation automotive-grade computing platforms along with a full development toolchain, while DeepRoute.ai will port and optimise its higher-level ADAS algorithms on the chips. The collaboration is intended to create an integrated chip-and-software stack suitable for large-scale deployment in production vehicles. See also: DeepRoute.ai to Launch Cost-Efficient, Production-Grade Robotaxi…

Chinese LiDAR manufacturer RoboSense said it has secured a major supply order from Dongfeng Nissan, the joint venture between Nissan Motor and Dongfeng Motor, highlighting its expanding role among global automakers operating in China. The company said it will provide digital LiDAR products for multiple Dongfeng Nissan models, with total orders close to one million units. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2026, according to RoboSense. Financial details were not disclosed. See also: RoboSense Becomes First Company to Deliver One Million Automotive LiDAR Units The announcement marks RoboSense’s second major order disclosed this month. Earlier, the company reported a large-scale…

China’s autonomous truck developer Trunk Technology (Beijing) Co Ltd has filed for a Main Board listing in Hong Kong, marking its formal entry into public capital markets, according to filings dated Dec. 11. The company, headquartered in Beijing’s Economic and Technological Development Zone, has appointed Guotai Haitong Securities as its sole sponsor. Trunk Technology is widely regarded as China’s first company to commercialise fully driverless transport solutions in port operations and has since expanded into broader logistics scenarios. See also: China Autonomous-Driving Developer CiDi Opens IPO Subscription in Hong Kong Trunk Technology has built a vertically integrated “vehicle–edge–cloud” technology stack…

Xpeng Motors Chief Executive He Xiaopeng has tested Tesla’s latest Full Self-Driving (FSD) software and Robotaxi service in Silicon Valley, renewing a comparison he last carried out in mid-2024 and sharpening the Chinese automaker’s ambitions in autonomous driving. He said the latest five-hour test of Tesla’s FSD version 14.2 showed clear progress from his previous experience, describing a shift from what he once saw as a refined but limited system to one approaching higher autonomy. Tesla’s standard vehicles and Robotaxi units operated on the same underlying model and displayed broadly consistent driving behaviour, he said in posts shared on Chinese…

Chinese autonomous-driving company CiDi opened subscriptions for its Hong Kong initial public offering on Dec. 11, with the offering set to close on Dec. 16 ahead of a planned Main Board listing on Dec. 19, according to its prospectus filings. CiDi plans to issue 5.41 million H-shares at an offer price of about $34 per share, implying a valuation of more than $1.5 billion. The shares include roughly 270,400 allocated to the Hong Kong public offering and about 5.14 million for international placement. The company will trade under stock code 3881. See also: KargoBot.ai and Horizon Robotics Form Strategic Alliance…

KargoBot.ai and Horizon Robotics have announced a broad strategic alliance aimed at commercializing Level-4 (L4) autonomous trucking across China, marking a major step toward scaled deployment of driverless heavy-duty freight operations. The companies signed a memorandum of understanding at the Horizon Together 2025 event, outlining plans to integrate their technological ecosystems and accelerate rollout of next-generation autonomous freight solutions. China’s autonomous freight sector is expected to shift from validation trials to large-scale expansion in 2025, supported by a road-freight market exceeding 7.5 trillion yuan. Analysts forecast that by 2035, more than half of China’s heavy trucks could operate autonomously. See…

Seyond Holdings made its debut on the Hong Kong stock market today, with its shares rising in morning trading as investor interest in smart driving hardware remained firm. As of press time, the stock was up 7.5% at HK$10.75 per share, valuing the company at about HK$14.6 billion ($1.88 billion). The LiDAR manufacturer raised HK$1.03 billion through the listing, with proceeds earmarked for strengthening research and development and expanding its global market presence. The company becomes the third Chinese LiDAR maker to list in Hong Kong, following RoboSense Technology and Hesai Group. Unlike its peers, Seyond went public through a…

German automaker Mercedes-Benz and Chinese autonomous driving company Momenta on Tuesday announced a partnership to launch a robotaxi service in Abu Dhabi, deepening a multi-year collaboration between the two firms. The companies said the fleet will be deployed through UAE mobility platform Lumo and will be based on the next-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan. The robotaxi service is scheduled to begin official operations in 2026, with plans to expand into additional global markets at a later stage, according to Momenta. The project combines Mercedes-Benz’s vehicle engineering, Momenta’s artificial intelligence technologies, and Lumo’s local operational capabilities. See also: China’s Momenta Files Confidentially…

Chinese LiDAR manufacturer RoboSense has secured a large-scale supply order from FAW Toyota, agreeing to deliver nearly one million LiDAR units over the next five years for one of the automaker’s best-selling vehicle models. The company said the order represents a renewed collaboration between the two firms, following a separate three-year supply agreement previously signed for another FAW Toyota battery-electric model. Although specific vehicle details were not disclosed, an image released by RoboSense suggests the LiDAR units may be destined for a sedan. See also: RoboSense LiDAR Now Compatible With NVIDIA DRIVE to Accelerate Autonomous Vehicle Development RoboSense first entered…