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LiDAR Industry Runs on Dual Tracks: "Steady Growth in Automotive, Explosion in Non-Automotive"

On July 7, Seyond announced via HKEX that its total LiDAR shipments in Q2 2026 reached approximately 271,100 units, representing a year-on-year increase of about 385% and a quarter-on-quarter increase of about 49%.

Seyond's high-growth shipments are not an isolated case. Data from Gasgoo Research Institute shows that from January to April 2026, total LiDAR installations in the domestic passenger car market exceeded 1.3 million units. Meanwhile, non-automotive scenarios such as robotics are becoming a significant new source of incremental growth for the industry.

Overall, the current LiDAR industry has formed a dual-track parallel pattern of "steady expansion in the automotive market and accelerated volume release in non-automotive scenarios."

Strong Duopoly Leads, Second Tier Breaks Through with Differentiation

Looking at installation data from January to April by Gasgoo, the head structure of the domestic automotive LiDAR market has basically solidified. Hesai Technology ranked first with 456,986 installations, holding a 35.0% market share; Huawei Technologies followed in second place with 398,057 installations and a 30.5% market share. Together, these two companies hold a combined share of 65.5%, forming a prominent duopoly lead. Seyond and RoboSense secured third and fourth places with shares of 15.8% and 12.8% respectively, while other manufacturers combined for only 5.8%.

Hesai's lead is even more pronounced under more segmented metrics. In March 2026, Hesai's installation share in China's passenger vehicle primary LiDAR market reached 55%, exceeding the combined share of all other suppliers, maintaining the industry's No. 1 position for 14 consecutive months. Additionally, according to Yole Group's 2026 Global Automotive Market Report, Hesai ranked first in global ADAS primary LiDAR shipments with a 43% market share.

In terms of customer acquisition, Hesai has secured mass production nominations from 40 auto brands across more than 160 models, covering all top ten best-selling auto brands in China. In May 2026, Hesai announced winning another nomination from a top European OEM for over 1 million LiDAR units in mass production, covering more than ten models under its joint venture brand in China. Previously, Hesai had already become the strategic LiDAR partner for Mercedes-Benz's L3 autonomous driving models, with new supply agreements covering both European and Chinese markets.

Specifically, the new Li Auto L9 Livis comes standard with four Hesai LiDARs, marking the first mass production installation of FTX blind-spot radar; multiple models from Geely Galaxy, Zeekr, and smart also feature Hesai products.

Regarding Huawei Technologies, its LiDAR products primarily rely on the HarmonyOS Intelligent Mobility Alliance system and external cooperative brands to achieve scaled vehicle integration. In March 2026, Huawei released the world's highest-specification 896-line dual-optical-path image-grade LiDAR, initially installed on the Zunjie S800 and AITO M9.

Subsequently, this LiDAR landed on multiple models under the HarmonyOS Intelligent Mobility Alliance, including Stelato S9, Luxeed R7, Luxeed New S7, AITO M7, and AITO M8. The Avatr 07L and 06T also feature Huawei Qiankun 896-line LiDAR. Huawei plans to accelerate the rollout of the 896-line LiDAR to more cooperative brand models.

Seyond and RoboSense, ranked third and fourth, have formed differentiated layouts in niche areas. Seyond's cumulative shipments in the first five months of 2026 have already exceeded the full-year level of 2025. As of March 31, 2026, RoboSense had secured mass production nomination orders for 177 models from 36 automakers and tier-one suppliers.

Robotics Sector Volume Release, "Second Growth Curve" Emerging

Beyond the automotive market, non-automotive application scenarios such as robotics and physical AI are becoming important incremental sources for the LiDAR industry.

RoboSense is a typical representative of this trend. In Q1 2026, RoboSense's total LiDAR sales reached 330,300 units, up 204.1% year-on-year; among these, LiDAR sales in the robotics sector reached 185,500 units, surging 1,458.8% year-on-year. The proportion of robotics sales in total sales rose from about 11% in the same period last year to about 56%, surpassing the ADAS business for the first time. According to GGII's Q1 2026 Global Robotics 3D LiDAR Shipment Ranking, RoboSense led globally with 185,500 units shipped.

Currently, RoboSense has served over 3,400 robotics and related industry clients worldwide, with products covering lawn mowing robots, humanoid robots, industrial robots, commercial cleaning robots, unmanned mining trucks, unmanned delivery vehicles, Robotaxis, and various other scenarios. Among these, lawn mowing robots are the first field to enter scaled mass production—in Q1 2026, RoboSense covered 9 out of the global Top 10 lawn mowing robot manufacturers.

Hesai Technology is also accelerating its layout in the robotics track. In Q1 2026, its robotics LiDAR deliveries reached 118,300 units, up 137.8% year-on-year. Hesai has newly established a Strategic Growth Initiative (SGI) focused on physical AI, with its first product, Kosmo, expected to be officially released in the second half of the year, contributing an estimated net income of about 100 million yuan for the full year.

Seyond's non-automotive business also shows high growth. From January to May 2026, its LiDAR shipments for robotics, industry solutions, and other scenarios totaled approximately 32,300 units, up 1,177% year-on-year. In May 2026, monthly shipments in this segment broke 10,000 units for the first time, indicating that Seyond's non-automotive scenario products have entered the scaled delivery phase.

Additionally, Seyond-related products have landed in scenarios such as unmanned delivery, commercial service robots, industrial intelligent equipment, and unmanned mining trucks.

Conclusion

Comprehensively speaking, the LiDAR industry in 2026 is presenting a dual-track parallel situation of "steady growth in automotive, explosion in non-automotive." On the automotive side, leading manufacturers continue to expand their advantages through technical and customer barriers, and industry concentration is expected to rise further; on the non-automotive side, emerging scenarios like robotics are moving from concept to scaled landing, opening up vast second growth space for the industry.

As advanced intelligent driving functions penetrate into vehicles across wider price ranges, and with the continuous development of embodied intelligence and physical AI technologies, the growth ceiling of the LiDAR industry is being constantly raised.