Gasgoo Munich- Seyond disclosed on July 7 that its LiDAR shipments surged to roughly 271,100 units in the second quarter of 2026. That represents a 385% year-on-year jump and a 49% increase from the previous quarter, according to a filing with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.Seyond's surge is no outlier. Data from the Gasgoo Automotive Research Institute shows that total LiDAR installations in China's passenger vehicle market topped 1.3 million units in the first four months of 2026. At the same time, non-automotive applications—particularly robotics—are emerging as a vital new source of growth for the industry.Taken together, the LiDAR industry has settled into a dual-track pattern: steady expansion in the automotive market, paired with accelerating volume in non-automotive scenarios.Top Two Dominate as Second-Tier Rivals Carve Out NichesThe hierarchy of China's automotive LiDAR market is largely set, judging by installation data for the first four months of the year. Hesai leads the pack with 456,986 units installed, capturing a 35.0% share. Huawei follows in second place with 398,057 units and a 30.5% slice of the market. Together, these two giants control 65.5% of the market, cementing a clear duopoly. Seyond and RoboSense hold firm in third and fourth place with 15.8% and 12.8% shares, respectively, leaving all other competitors to fight over the remaining 5.8%.Hesai's edge becomes even sharper when looking at specific segments. In March 2026, the company commanded a 55% share of installations for primary LiDARs in China's passenger vehicle market—surpassing the combined total of all other suppliers. It has held the top spot for 14 consecutive months. Globally, Hesai ranks first in ADAS primary LiDAR shipments with a 43% market share, according to Yole Group's 2026 Global Automotive Market Report.Image Source: HesaiHesai has secured production design wins for over 160 models across 40 automotive brands, including every one of China's top ten sellers by volume. In May 2026, the company announced a massive new win: a contract for over 1 million LiDAR units from a top-tier European automaker, covering more than a dozen models under its joint ventures in China. Previously, Hesai had already been named a strategic partner for Mercedes-Benz's Level 3 autonomous vehicles, with supply agreements spanning both European and Chinese markets.On specific models, Li Auto's new L9 Livis comes standard with four Hesai LiDARs, marking the first mass production of the FTX blind-spot detection unit. Hesai technology is also featured across multiple models from Geely Galaxy, ZEEKR, and smart.For Huawei, scaling up relies heavily on the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance and partnerships with external brands. In March 2026, Huawei unveiled the world's highest-specification mass-production LiDAR to date: an 896-line, dual-optical-path, image-grade unit. It debuted on the Maextro S800 and AITO M9.Since then, the sensor has rolled out to a host of other models under the alliance umbrella, including the Stelato S9, Luxeed R7, the new Luxeed S7, and the AITO M7 and M8. The Avatr 07L and 06T also feature Huawei's Qiankun 896-line LiDAR. Huawei now plans to accelerate the rollout of this high-end sensor to even more partner vehicles.Image Source: SeyondSeyond and RoboSense, holding third and fourth place respectively, are carving out differentiated positions in niche segments. Seyond's cumulative shipments for the first five months of 2026 have already surpassed its total for the entire year of 2025. RoboSense, meanwhile, has secured production design wins for 177 models across 36 automakers and Tier 1 suppliers as of March 31, 2026.Robotics Sector Surges as "Second Growth Curve" Takes ShapeBeyond the automotive sector, non-automotive applications—robotics and physical AI, in particular—are becoming critical drivers of growth for the LiDAR industry.RoboSense exemplifies this shift. In the first quarter of 2026, the company's total LiDAR sales jumped 204.1% year-on-year to 330,300 units. Notably, sales for robotics applications skyrocketed 1,458.8% to 185,500 units. This segment now accounts for roughly 56% of total sales—up from just 11% a year ago—marking the first time robotics has outpaced its ADAS business. According to GGII's Q1 2026 Global Robotics 3D LiDAR Shipment Ranking, RoboSense leads globally with 185,500 units shipped.Image Source: RoboSenseRoboSense has now served over 3,400 robotics and related clients worldwide. Its products span a wide range of scenarios, including lawn mowing, humanoid robots, industrial automation, commercial cleaning, autonomous mining trucks, delivery vehicles, and robotaxis. The lawn-mowing sector has been the first to reach mass production: in the first quarter of 2026, RoboSense counted nine of the world's top ten lawn-mower manufacturers among its clients.Hesai is also accelerating its push into robotics. The company delivered 118,300 LiDAR units for robotic applications in the first quarter of 2026, a 137.8% increase from the previous year. Hesai has established a new Strategic Growth Initiative (SGI) focused on physical AI. Its first product, Kosmo, is slated for launch in the second half of the year and is expected to generate roughly 100 million yuan in net revenue for the full year.Image Source: SeyondSeyond's non-automotive business is growing just as fast. From January to May 2026, shipments for robotics, industrial solutions, and other applications reached roughly 32,300 units—an 1,177% year-on-year surge. In May 2026, monthly shipments in this segment surpassed 10,000 units for the first time, signaling that Seyond's non-automotive products have entered a phase of large-scale delivery.Additionally, Seyond's technology has been deployed in scenarios such as autonomous delivery, commercial service robots, industrial smart equipment, and unmanned mining trucks.ConclusionIn summary, the LiDAR industry in 2026 is defined by a dual-track trajectory: steady gains in automotive and explosive growth elsewhere. On the automotive side, leading manufacturers are leveraging technological and customer moats to widen their lead, a trend that will likely drive further industry consolidation. On the non-automotive side, emerging scenarios like robotics are moving from concept to mass deployment, carving out a vast "second growth curve" for the sector.As advanced driving features spread to vehicles across a wider price range—and as embodied AI and physical AI technologies continue to evolve—the growth ceiling for the LiDAR industry is being raised higher than ever.
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