Huawei's 896-line LiDAR is here: It can "see" obstacles as low as 14 centimeters from a distance of 120 meters.

Tesla and XPeng are firmly committed to the vision-based approach, while most Chinese companies like Huawei opt for the LiDAR approach and continuously improve LiDAR technology by using more and more powerful LiDARs.

On March 4th, the technology update press conference of Hongmeng Zhixing was held. Yu Chengdong, the Chairman and the head of the Terminal Business Unit of Huawei, introduced a sensational product: an 896-line LiDAR that can detect obstacles as low as 14 centimeters from a distance of 120 meters, thus further enhancing the obstacle detection and avoidance capabilities in assisted driving mode.

This currently mass - produced LiDAR with the highest number of lines will first be installed in the two flagship models of Hongmeng Zhixing, the Zunjie S800 and the Wenjie M9. The minimum prices are 728,000 yuan and 479,800 yuan respectively.

The Zunjie S800 and the Wenjie M9 equipped with a 192 - line LiDAR have minimum prices of 708,000 yuan and 469,800 yuan. This means that this LiDAR and the associated improvements cost 20,000 yuan and 10,000 yuan more respectively.

Would you be willing to pay this additional 20,000 yuan or 10,000 yuan?

Recently, the entire intelligent driving assistance system of Hongmeng Zhixing was updated to version ADS4.1. Additionally, at the press conference, the Shangjie Z7 and the Shangjie Z7T from the fifth segment of Hongmeng Zhixing, the Shangjie series, were introduced.

This is the "appetizer" of Hongmeng Zhixing's spring offensive. Yu Chengdong said that more product information from Hongmeng Zhixing would be released at the end of March.

01

Continuing the LiDAR Competition

"A few years ago, when I was also the CEO of the Auto Business Unit, we started developing this LiDAR," Yu Chengdong said at the press conference.

Yu Chengdong took on the role of CEO of the Auto Business Unit in 2021. This means that the development of Huawei's 896 - line LiDAR has been going on for over 5 years.

Since Huawei "helps automakers build better cars," it has been relying on LiDARs. In the higher - end versions of intelligent driving, LiDARs are used, and some models even have 3 or even 4 LiDARs.

In 2023, Huawei introduced a 192 - line LiDAR for the first time in Hongmeng Zhixing, which was then the LiDAR with the highest number of lines in the industry. In 2025, Huawei launched a solid - state LiDAR as a supplement for near - and rear - view.

In the face of increasingly fierce competition in intelligent driving, Huawei and Hongmeng Zhixing will surely continue to invest in intelligent driving functions and LiDAR technology.

The 896 - line LiDAR introduced by Hongmeng Zhixing has two technical features.

Firstly, the extremely high number of lines. As Yu Chengdong said, this is currently the mass - produced LiDAR with the highest number of lines in the industry.

The number of lines refers to the number of laser emission and reception channels in the vertical direction when the LiDAR emits lasers. An 896 - line LiDAR means that there are 896 independent laser emission sources in the vertical direction, which can emit 896 laser beams simultaneously.

Compared with LiDARs with a lower number of lines, a high - line LiDAR can return more point clouds. Compared with a 192 - line LiDAR, the point cloud density increases by a factor of four - you can also think of it as a four - fold improvement in accuracy.

The other feature is that it has a dual - optical - path architecture for the first time, which enables a combination of wide - angle and long - range imaging.

One of the two optical paths is responsible for the wide - angle view and provides an overall view, while the other is responsible for the long - range view and focuses on details from a long distance, so that smaller objects can be detected more quickly from a long distance.

This means that this LiDAR can see both far and wide.

Since the clarity of the point clouds is greatly improved, Jin Yuzhi, the CEO of Huawei's Business Unit for Intelligent Automotive Solutions, called it a "picture - like" LiDAR, which brings the on - board LiDAR from the 3D point - cloud era to the 3D imaging era.

In practical applications, this LiDAR can detect obstacles as low as 14 centimeters from a distance of 120 meters, which covers the ground clearance of most car models. For targets with low reflectivity, such as fallen tires, the detection distance increases by 190%, and for irregular obstacles such as fallen traffic cones, it increases by 77%.

Moreover, Jin Yuzhi said that this LiDAR is also sufficiently robust - it is sealed with a hardened glass film, which increases the hardness by 25% and the durability by a factor of two. After a 30 - hour test in a sandstorm environment, the surface was undamaged.

Currently, it is planned to install this LiDAR in the two models, the Zunjie S800 and the Wenjie M9 of Hongmeng Zhixing, to replace the original 192 - line main LiDAR and to function as part of a comprehensive package of 36 sensors in the vehicle. Yu Chengdong said: "It will be the most powerful omnidirectional stereoscopic fusion detection system among the cars on the road."

The active safety of the test vehicles equipped with this LiDAR is greatly improved. Videos from Hongmeng Zhixing show that the test vehicles are able to successfully avoid small targets such as cardboard boxes in dark environments at a speed of 120 km/h, avoid low - reflectivity fallen tires at 130 km/h, and avoid multiple types of obstacles one after another at 120 km/h, enabling comprehensive safety protection in all highway scenarios.

Unfortunately, the cost of this LiDAR may currently be relatively high. If it is installed in the two models, the price will increase by 20,000 yuan and 10,000 yuan respectively.

02

ADS4.1: Unlocking Mountain Roads and Cliff Roads

Before the Chinese New Year, Huawei's Qiankun Intelligent Driving®️ ADS was updated to version 4.1. At this press conference, Jin Yuzhi (see below) also provided an update on the performance of Qiankun Intelligent Driving.

Compared with ADS 4.0, the improvement of ADS4.1 mainly lies in its capabilities and the experience in different scenarios.

In terms of scenarios, ADS4.1 has unlocked rural country roads, cliff roads, and other lower - class roads. Through the fusion of multiple sensors, the road boundary is modeled in real - time, so that the car can drive in the middle even without lane markings. On narrow roads, it can automatically perform a "three - point turn," which solves the problem that version 4.0 easily "gets stuck" on unmarked roads.

In more common urban scenarios, version ADS4.1 does not require map updates for newly built roads and temporary construction sites. Instead, it is based directly on real - time detection and decision - making, and is therefore more suitable for the old roads in small cities.

At construction sites and on narrow roads where oncoming traffic is expected, the passability of ADS4.1 is significantly improved compared to 4.0. The assessment of agricultural equipment and irregular obstacles is more accurate, and unnecessary driver take - overs are reduced.

Moreover, the driving experience is smoother and more decisive, and the reaction speed is faster.

In intelligent driving, safety is the most important aspect for users. Huawei Qiankun Intelligent Driving publishes monthly safety analysis reports, similar to Tesla.

Jin Yuzhi announced that as of March 3, 2026, the active safety system of Hongmeng Zhixing has avoided more than 3.54 million potential collisions. Huawei Qiankun Intelligent Driving®️ has traveled a total of 87.6 billion kilometers with driving assistance. The measurement data shows that in the ADS driving assistance mode, the average safe driving distance is 3.95 times the Chinese average, and in the ADS manual mode, it is 2.81 times.

"ADS4.1 makes you love driving more and you can't do without it," Yu Chengdong quoted the users' feedback on the new intelligent driving assistance system at the press conference.

Jin Yuzhi also said that during the Chinese New Year in 2026, the total driving distance with driving assistance of Hongmeng Zhixing was 373 million kilometers, which was a 210% increase compared to the previous year. The highest daily driving distance was over 50 million kilometers, and the proportion of active users of the driving assistance was 92%.

Thanks to the efforts of Hongmeng Zhixing and other intelligent automotive companies, the usage of intelligent driving is constantly increasing.

03

Shangjie Z7, Z7GT: Competing for the Market of Xiaomi SU7

At the end of the technology press conference, Yu Chengdong had one more surprise in store.

The Shangjie Z7 was expected, but it was surprising that Shangjie had also developed a Shooting Brake model, the Z7T.

The Shangjie Z7 had already been introduced, and this time some design details were revealed, such as the urban lighting modules, the diamond - crystal amphibole lights, and the colorful colors like electro - lilac - pink and amber - gold - green.

The Shangjie Z7T was introduced for the first time and is the first Shooting Brake model of Hongmeng Zhixing. Compared to the Z7, it has a larger cargo space and combines individuality and aesthetics with practicality to meet the more diverse needs of young people for outdoor car use.

Two colors were also shown for the Z7T: one is all - black, and the name of the color was not mentioned, the other is "New Evening Mountain Green". Yu Chengdong announced that the Shangjie Z7 will offer even more individual color options.

The highlights of the interior of the Shangjie Z7 were also shown for the first time. It is the first model to have a new Follow - up Four - Dimensional Screen that can automatically rotate and give an intelligent greeting. When the user calls Xiaoyi, it rotates and responds, making it more lively and interactive.

In place of the passenger - side drawer, the Shangjie Z7 brings a new Inspiration Window that can become a showcase for plush toys and handicrafts for young people.

The press conference did not reveal core information such as the parameters and prices of the Z7 and Z7T. Yu Chengdong said that this will happen at the end of March.

The Shangjie Z7 and Z7T will surely target the first successful model of Xiaomi Auto