Automated and Self-guided Vehicles Update: WeRide, Nullmax, Renesas, and Hesai
The autonomous driving industry is experiencing a significant transformation following the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025. Here are the key trends shaping the future of this sector.
- Advancement in Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs): There is a growing shift toward SDVs, where vehicle operations such as braking, steering, and infotainment are controlled by software that can be updated over-the-air (OTA). This trend was highlighted at CES 2025, with manufacturers like Honda partnering with Amazon Web Services to accelerate SDV development and deployment through improved data management and continuous software updates.
- Progress Toward Higher Automation Levels: Although fully autonomous Level 5 vehicles remain several years away, Level 3 (conditional automation) and Level 4 (high automation) vehicles are increasingly being developed and introduced. Research forecasts predict that by 2030, over 90% of new cars sold will meet SAE automation levels 1 to 4, with a growing proportion of Level 3 and Level 4 capable vehicles.
- Regulatory and Commercial Landscape Maturation: Structured permit systems, clearly defined liability frameworks, and harmonized international regulations are enabling OEMs to certify and scale Level 3+ autonomous vehicles with greater confidence. This regulatory progress supports faster commercial adoption and testing of autonomous technologies.
- Open-Source and Collaborative Software Platforms: A major emerging trend post-CES 2025 is the rise of open-source SDV projects, such as the S-CORE initiative backed by Bosch, QNX, and Mercedes-Benz. These platforms seek to standardize middleware layers, ensure functional safety compliance, cybersecurity standards, and OTA update regulations, while promoting modular, OEM-agnostic vehicle architectures that facilitate scalable autonomy.
- Increased Market Growth and Adoption Expectations: The autonomous vehicle market continues robust growth, with forecasts projecting the global market rising from $5.6 billion in 2018 to $60 billion by 2030. Additionally, around 55% of small businesses expect fully autonomous fleets within 20 years, reflecting rising commercial interest in the deployment of autonomous driving technologies.
In addition to these trends, notable developments include:
- Hesai Technology, a global leader in lidar technology, has shipped over 20,000 lidar units in December 2024, aiming to surpass 1 million units in 2025. The company holds the highest number of published patent applications for lidar worldwide, exceeding 1,500.
- WeRide, the only company to operate commercial Robotaxi services in both China and abroad, has launched a fully driverless commercial Robobus service in Europe and received approval for fully unmanned, paid ride-hailing services in Beijing.
- The autonomous driving AI company Nullmax has partnered with Renesas Electronics to enhance Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) by combining Nullmax's AI-driven software with Renesas' R-Car V4 and R-Car X5 series chips.
- The STRADVISION's February 2025 Market Intelligence Report highlights the influence of autonomous driving (AD), software-defined vehicles (SDVs), and cloud-based solutions in shaping the future of the automotive industry.
These advancements and trends indicate a promising future for the autonomous driving industry, with a focus on software-centric vehicle designs, advancing levels of automated driving functionality, collaborative open-source software frameworks, and strong market growth projections.
The increasing emphasis on software-centric vehicle designs is reflected in the growth of Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs) and partnerships, such as the collaboration between Honda and Amazon Web Services, which seek to improve data management and over-the-air (OTA) updates for SDVs.
Traditional Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are evolving with the rise of collaborative projects like the partnership between Nullmax and Renesas Electronics, which aims to bring AI-driven software and advanced chip technology to ADAS for enhanced performance.
