China’s EV race: Great Wall Motor-backed start-up Haomo unveils 3 new ‘low-cost’ L2 autonomous driving systems
- Haomo.AI claims they are cheaper and better than existing L2 self-driving systems fitted in intelligent vehicles in China
- The products are ‘sure to bolster use of driver-assistance systems in China,’ says EV market analyst
On average, an L2 system costs at least US$2,000, according to Chen Jinzhu, CEO of consultancy Shanghai Mingliang Auto Service.
Most intelligent vehicles in China are classified as L2 or L2+, which stipulate that the driver must be alert and ready to take control at any time.
Haomo said its new systems provide slightly different degrees of autonomy depending on the requirements of the driver and their environment. Zhang said mass production of the three driver-assistance products will start as early as this year.
The HP170, priced between 3,000 and 3,999 yuan, enables autonomous driving on highways and expressways, automatic emergency braking, and short-distance memory parking.
The HP370, with higher computing power and more radar sensors, supports driving in urban areas and is priced from 5,000 to 5,999 yuan.
“The prices Haomo charges are very impressive and it is sure to bolster use of driver-assistance systems in China,” said Phate Zhang, founder of CnEVPost, a Shanghai-based electric-vehicle data provider. “Indeed many Chinese carmakers are trying to add autonomous driving features to their vehicles in an economical way.”
In the mainland, 35 per cent of pure electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles delivered to customers in the first half of 2023 were fitted with autonomous driving systems on par with L2 or L2+, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).
In total, the mainland’s carmakers handed over the keys to 3.08 million EVs from January to June, up 37.3 per cent on the year, CPCA data showed.
Some Xpeng cars, fitted with the company’s X NGP (Navigation Guided Pilot) software, are now capable of autonomous driving in China’s four biggest cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Intelligence is measured by the vehicle’s digital bells and whistles, manifested in such built-in features as voice-activated controls, facial recognition, over-the-air software upgrades, phone-linked features and self parking capability.
Haomo’s investor, Great Wall, is China’s largest sport utility vehicle (SUV) maker.
It is looking to expand abroad, buoyed by its manufacturing heft, and recently announced plans to establish a plant in Vietnam in 2025 to assemble electric cars.