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This week, i Capital features Horizon Robotics (Horizon), a leading provider of advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving (AD) solutions for passenger vehicles in China. By the end of Sep 2024, Horizon’s integrated solutions had been selected by 27 OEMs (42 OEM brands) for implementation in 285 car models. Key customers include leading EV OEMs such as BYD (比亚迪) and Li Auto (理想汽车). 

Horizon’s ADAS and AD solutions integrate its proprietary processing hardware and software, which include self-developed Journey series automotive grade chips, and algorithm and purpose-built software. The Company was founded in 2015 by Dr. Yu Kai, a renowned scientist with over 25 years of experience in computer engineering. From 2012-2015, Dr. Yu was the deputy head of Baidu Research (百度研究院), where he was instrumental in initiating China’s first autonomous driving project. The Company was listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong in Oct 2024. By the end of Jun 2024, the Company employed 2,319 workers, of which 1,696 were in the R&D department.

Smart vehicles

Smart vehicles adopt driving automation technologies that encompass capabilities of perception, prediction, path-planning and decision-making to improve road safety and enhance both driver and passenger experience. A smart vehicle can perceive its own status, understand its surrounding environment, make prompt decisions and react in due time. According to the Taxonomy of Driving Automation for Vehicles GB/T 40429-2021《汽車駕駛自動化分級》, automation functions can be categorised into 6 levels:, emergency assistance (Level 0), partial driving assistance (Level 1), combined driving assistance (Level 2), conditionally automated driving (Level 3), highly automated driving (Level 4), and fully automated driving (Level 5). It is levels 0-2 which have been implemented in mass-produced passenger cars. The industry is moving its edge from Level 2 to Level 2+ which requires constan