Hesai Reports Q1 Revenue of $98.7M
Reports Q1 revenue $98.7M vs. $72.4M last year. Q1 total lidar shipments were 471,723 units, representing an increase of 140.9% from 195,818 units in the corresponding period of 2025. "We are incredibly honored and excited to announce that Hesai serves as strategic lidar partner and confirmed supplier for Mercedes-Benz models enabling L3 autonomy. Meanwhile, the first quarter of 2026 marked a transformative chapter for Hesai as we began our strategic evolution from 'Spatial Perception' to 'Spatial Intelligence.' We are no longer just a global leader in lidar; we are building the foundational infrastructure for the Physical AI frontier," said Yifan Li, Hesai's co-Founder and CEO. "We continue to solidify the leadership in our core lidar business during the quarter. According to Gasgoo, we have maintained the No.1 position in China's long-range automotive lidar market for 14 consecutive months, reaching 55% share in March 2026. Furthermore, our latest ASIC breakthrough, Picasso, represents a step-change for the industry. As the world's first 6D full-color ultra-sensitive lidar SPAD-SoC, it integrates RGB color information with precise XYZ spatial data at the chip level, fundamentally bridging the gap between lidars and cameras. This next-generation technology will debut in our high-end ETX lidar model, offering configurations of up to 4,320 channels, with SOP expected in the second half of 2026. We believe our in-house developed full-color 6D SPAD-SoC has the potential to enable a unified perception paradigm not only for vehicles, but for any application where cameras are used today."
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- Strategic Partnership: Hesai Group confirmed its role as a strategic lidar partner for Mercedes-Benz, marking a significant advancement in the autonomous driving sector, which is expected to drive future revenue growth and increase market share.
- Doubling Shipment Expectations: The company anticipates total shipments to reach between 3 million and 3.5 million units in 2026, doubling from last year, indicating strong OEM demand with a backlog exceeding 6 million units, further solidifying its market position.
- Robust Financial Performance: Total net revenues for Q1 reached RMB 681 million, a 30% year-over-year increase, while the lidar business generated an operating profit of RMB 42 million, demonstrating sustained profitability in its core operations.
- Strategic Growth Initiatives: Hesai plans to achieve approximately RMB 100 million in SGI revenue in 2026, with expectations to scale this to RMB 500 million by 2027, highlighting the company's long-term growth potential and market outlook in the AI sector.
- Strategic Partnership: Hesai Group has entered into a strategic lidar supply agreement with Mercedes-Benz, supporting L3 autonomy programs in Europe and China, marking a significant expansion of Hesai's footprint in the global autonomous driving sector.
- New Manufacturing Center: The opening of Hesai's new Galileo manufacturing center in Thailand will supply lidar to Mercedes-Benz, expected to enhance production capacity and meet the growing market demand, further solidifying its leadership in the lidar market.
- Global Market Reach: With customers in over 40 countries, Hesai leverages its full-stack proprietary ASIC capabilities and integrated R&D-testing-manufacturing approach to strengthen its industry-leading positions across core AI domains, including ADAS and autonomous mobility.
- Tech-Driven Future: As the AI-driven Fourth Industrial Revolution accelerates, Hesai is committed to becoming a key enabler of physical AI, redefining how humans and robots perceive and act through the digitization of the real world.
- New Order Milestone: Hesai Group has secured a new order exceeding 1 million units from a top-tier European automaker, covering over 10 models across the OEM's joint venture brands in China, further solidifying its leadership in the global automotive market.
- Outstanding Product Performance: Since entering mass production in 2025, the Hesai ATX lidar has become the best-selling product in the ADAS segment, with over 1 million units delivered and an order backlog exceeding 6 million units, indicating strong demand for safety components.
- Leading Market Share: According to a Yole Group report, Hesai ranked No. 1 globally in long-range ADAS lidar shipments in 2025, capturing a 43% market share, showcasing its competitive edge in technology and market presence.
- Innovation-Driven Technology: The ATX lidar features proprietary addressable photon isolation technology that enhances early hazard detection capabilities, thereby improving active safety performance and further driving Hesai's adoption in the high-end ADAS market.
- Significant Revenue Growth: Hesai Group reported first-quarter revenue of RMB 680.6 million, a 29.6% year-on-year increase, primarily driven by a remarkable 140.9% surge in lidar shipments, indicating strong demand in the autonomous driving market.
- Net Income Turnaround: The company achieved a net income of RMB 18.3 million, recovering from a loss in the previous year, which suggests an improvement in profitability, although it fell short of market expectations, potentially impacting investor confidence.
- Declining Gross Margin: Gross margin decreased from 41.7% to 39.1%, attributed to a higher mix of lower-margin products and increased R&D spending, reflecting the pressure on profitability while pursuing growth.
- Impact of Price Decline: The decline in average selling prices has pressured profit margins despite revenue growth, necessitating a focus on optimizing the product mix to enhance overall profitability moving forward.
- Strategic Partnership: Hesai Group has entered a new supply agreement with Mercedes-Benz, becoming the strategic lidar partner for their L3 autonomous models, marking a significant expansion in Hesai's global autonomous driving footprint.
- Production Capacity Enhancement: The new agreement will leverage Hesai's Galileo manufacturing center in Thailand to support lidar production, which is expected to significantly boost supply capabilities in Europe and China to meet Mercedes-Benz's demands.
- Market Coverage Expansion: With customers in over 40 countries, this partnership will further solidify Hesai's market leadership in ADAS and autonomous driving, driving business growth on a global scale.
- Innovation-Driven Technology: Hesai is committed to maintaining its leadership in physical AI through full-stack proprietary ASIC capabilities and an integrated R&D-testing-manufacturing approach, aiming to drive digital transformation and redefine interactions between humans and robots.
- Earnings Beat: Hesai Group reported a Q1 2026 GAAP EPS of $0.04, exceeding expectations by $0.04, which reflects a significant improvement in profitability and boosts market confidence in future growth.
- Revenue Surge: The company achieved revenues of $98.7 million in Q1, marking a 29.6% year-over-year increase and surpassing market expectations by $0.53 million, indicating robust sales momentum amid competitive pressures.
- Lidar Shipment Growth: Q1 2026 saw ADAS lidar shipments reach 353,441 units, up 141.9% year-over-year, while robotics lidar shipments totaled 118,282 units, a 137.8% increase, highlighting strong demand in autonomous driving and robotics sectors.
- Solid Cash Reserves: As of March 31, 2026, Hesai's cash reserves stood at RMB 7,231.7 million (approximately $1,048.4 million), down from RMB 7,511.0 million as of December 31, 2025, yet still maintaining sufficient liquidity to support future growth.






