Chinese LiDAR supplier Seyond has signed a new supply partnership with a major Chinese automotive group, marking a key step in diversifying its customer base beyond Nio.
Seyond will exclusively provide its 905-nanometer Robin E1X LiDAR units to several brands under the unnamed automaker’s umbrella. The company expects the models equipped with the Robin E1X to enter mass production in 2026, with cumulative sales projected to reach several hundred thousand vehicles over the following three years.
“This marks a major breakthrough in terms of customer status, product range, and supported vehicle platforms,” Seyond said in a statement, describing the deal as a milestone in its commercialization strategy. The name of the automotive group was not disclosed.
Founded in 2016 and formerly known as Innovusion, Seyond has R&D centers in Silicon Valley, Suzhou, and Shanghai, along with manufacturing facilities in Ningbo and Suzhou. The company rebranded to Seyond in December 2023.
Seyond has been best known as the primary LiDAR supplier for Nio’s 1,550-nm Falcon series units, which have been standard on all Nio-branded models since the ET7 sedan entered production in 2022. However, the Falcon units are not used on Nio’s Onvo or Firefly sub-brands.
The new Robin E1X model is a smaller and lower-cost offering with a standard detection range of 200 meters and a maximum of 250 meters, compared with the Falcon’s 500-meter range. Seyond said the Robin E1X is already in mass production through a deal with an unnamed automotive startup.
The company has shipped over 500,000 Falcon series units to date, with Nio accounting for the vast majority of those deliveries.
China’s automotive LiDAR sector remains competitive, with Hesai Group and RoboSense Technology considered the leading players. Domestic media have previously reported that Seyond is exploring a potential listing in Hong Kong, possibly via a back-door listing mechanism.