Seyond Shipments Up 217%, Robin W Single Quarter Exceeds Full Prior Year

Seyond shipped approximately 268,900 units in Q3, up 217% year-over-year. Robin W deliveries reached 200,900 units, surpassing the full prior year in a single quarter and now accounting for roughly three-quarters of the company's shipments.

The all-new ES8 delivered 10,542 vehicles in September, each equipped with 1 Seyond Falcon and 2 Robin W units. Based on configuration, these delivered vehicles carried approximately 31,600 Seyond lidar units, of which about 21,100 were Robin W.

Three lidar units per vehicle, combined with Robin W entering more mainstream models, is reshaping Seyond's shipment mix. NIO is the company's largest customer and also holds a stake through an affiliate. In today's operations, this relationship most directly translates into procurement for hot-selling models.

Excerpt from Seyond's October 12, 2026 shipment announcement. Q3 shipments of approximately 268,900 units, with Robin W accounting for about three-quarters; figures are unaudited.

ES8 and ES9 Sell Cars, Falcon and Robin W Ride Along

The ES8's roof-mounted lidar handles long-range forward perception, while each front fender has a wide-angle lidar covering the area around the vehicle body. Seyond's Falcon and Robin W serve primary vision and blind-spot coverage roles respectively on the same vehicle.

On September 20, the all-new ES8 reached 150,000 cumulative deliveries on its first anniversary of launch. The September monthly delivery figure of 10,542 units was reported by Pacific Auto and CnEVPost citing NIO disclosures. The installation volumes above are calculated based on per-vehicle configuration, representing the number of lidar units delivered with these vehicles; procurement and inventory stocking occur before vehicle delivery.

The all-new ES8 uses 1 Falcon and 2 Robin W units. Image from Seyond's August 21, 2025 configuration diagram; NIO's current product page still lists 3 lidar units total for front and both sides.

The ES9, which began deliveries this year, also uses 1 Falcon plus 2 Robin W units. NIO's October 1 announcement disclosed that the ES9 began deliveries on May 28 and reached 30,000 cumulative deliveries by September 23. The new flagship continues with the three-lidar combination, giving both of Seyond's major platforms simultaneous orders.

Excerpt from the original PDF of NIO's October 1, 2026 delivery announcement. ES8 reached 150,000 cumulative units in September, ES9 reached 30,000 cumulative units; both are cumulative vehicle delivery figures.

Robin E Sells Into More Models

Robin has another growth path. The E series handles forward long-range perception and targets more mainstream models; the W series covers wide-angle areas and can be used for automotive blind-spot coverage as well as on unmanned delivery, handling, and cleaning equipment.

Seyond's Q3 announcement lists Robin E customers including SAIC Motor, SAIC Volkswagen, GAC Group, and NIO's Onvo. The interim report disclosed that new models from Onvo, GAC Aion, Trumpchi, and Hyptec have begun mass-production deliveries, with 7 new models entering mass-production delivery in the first half.

Onvo's new configuration especially requires version differentiation. The 2026 L90 began deliveries in May; the Pro version continues with a pure vision solution, while Max+ and Ultra+ versions add lidar. Onvo did not disclose the delivery mix by version in this announcement, so overall L90 sales must be separated from lidar-equipped version sales.

Orders from other customers have already generated revenue. Seyond's revenue from customers other than its largest customer reached approximately $30.3 million in the first half, compared to approximately $9.2 million in the same period last year. As Robin applications expand, more automakers and equipment manufacturers are beginning to pay Seyond.

There are also clear configurations outside of vehicles. Seyond disclosed on October 9 that the Zhongke Xingchi Robovan S6 is equipped with 4 Robin W units for last-mile delivery. Automotive side panels and delivery vehicles use lidar from the same platform, and Robin's shipments also include these different applications.

Comparing with RoboSense and Hesai Requires Breaking Down Product Applications

RoboSense sold approximately 595,600 units in Q3, more than double Seyond's volume. Using first-half data, which all three companies disclose by category, Seyond's ADAS lidar totaled approximately 416,000 units and RoboSense approximately 437,000 units — automotive volumes are already very close.

Editor-created chart, units in ten-thousands, period is H1 2026. Sources: Seyond interim report, RoboSense interim results announcement, Hesai Q2 earnings announcement. Categories follow each company's own definitions; both RoboSense's and Seyond's robotics product categories include "others."

The gap is concentrated in robotics and other products. RoboSense sold approximately 283,000 units in this category in the first half, while Seyond sold approximately 35,000 units. Hesai has larger scale in both categories, with approximately 839,000 ADAS units and approximately 261,000 robotics units. The chart preserves each company's categories; all statistical periods are H1 2026.

Seyond's Q3 total shipments were essentially flat versus Q2, with Robin rising from 191,600 to 200,900 units and Falcon falling from 77,800 to 66,500 units. Robin's share continues to increase, corresponding to its applications spanning forward primary lidar, automotive blind-spot coverage, and unmanned equipment.