Hesai, a Chinese lidar manufacturer, plans to establish its initial international facility in Southeast Asia during the upcoming year.
Shanghai-based lidar sensor manufacturer Hesai Group announced on Wednesday that it has secured a land lease for a factory, set to commence construction later this year with production expected in late 2026. The company's Chief Financial Officer, Andrew Fan, revealed the details without disclosing specifics.
Fan explained that the factory will produce light detection and ranging (lidar) sensors which employ laser beams to measure distances to objects. These sensors will be supplied to international automobile marques that design and assemble smart vehicles, serving some of Hesai's clients overseas from late 2026 or early 2027. The plant in Southeast Asia aligns with the company's global expansion strategy, according to Fan.
Hesai's first-quarter revenue for 2023 grew by 46.3% to 530 million yuan (US$73.6 million), as reported on Tuesday, while its net loss narrowed 84% to 17.5 million yuan. The company has already established partnerships with top global Tier 1 suppliers and has ADAS design wins with Chinese brands such as Chery, Great Wall Motor, Zeekr, Geely, and Li Auto, along with collaborations across Europe and Japan. However, the specific international brands utilizing Hesai's lidar were not named in the search results, indicating a broad clientele.
The factory's production, scheduled for late 2026, will involve the manufacturing of advanced lidar sensors, a critical component in data-and-cloud-computing technology, essential for business applications in the autonomous vehicle industry. As part of Hesai Group's global expansion strategy, this Southeast Asian plant will supply sensors to various international automobile marques, further strengthening the company's presence in the global market.
