Lidar developer Innoviz targets Chinese automotive market with new partnership

Israeli lidar developer Innoviz Technologies has partnered with HiRain Technologies, a Tier 1 China automotive supplier in China, to bring Innoviz's technology to Chinese automakers. 

Innoviz's solid-state lidar solution uses a MEMS-based design, which the company markets as delivering safety, performance and reliability at an affordable price required for mass market adoption. The availability of Innoviz's lidar within HiRain's autonomous driving capabilities gives HiRain customers access to Innoviz's long-range scanning and object detection capabilities for self-driving vehicles. Innoviz lidar enables autonomous vehicles to sense their surroundings with unparalleled clarity and accuracy, even at long distances, in varying weather and light conditions, and in multi-lidar environments.

 

InnovizPro lidar module. Credit: Innoviz

'China is helping lead the way towards the autonomous vehicle future, and HiRain is one of the most influential companies in the Chinese automotive industry. Last year, around 26 million vehicles were manufactured in China, making it by far the largest automotive manufacturing country in the world,' said Omer Keilaf, CEO of Innoviz. 'The HiRain team has extensive experience with driver assistance and autonomous driving systems in China and we are honoured to partner with them. Together, we will help Chinese auto manufacturers achieve the standards they demand for safe and reliable LiDAR sensors, at the price point they desire.'

Also this year, Innoviz's automotive-grade lidar, InnovizOne, and its computer vision software were recently selected by BMW for series production vehicles starting in 2021.

'Lidar is one of the most critical technologies for automated driving systems, and we partnered with Innoviz because not only is its technology more advanced than other lidar solution, but the company has proven it can deliver on its promises,' said Yingcun Ji, CEO of HiRain. 'Innoviz's cutting-edge LiDAR will help us expand our leadership position within the Chinese automotive industry and continue to blaze a trail towards the autonomous driving future.'