Horizon HSD Revolution: China's ADAS Set for L4 Leap

At the 2025 Horizon Technology Ecosystem Conference on December 10, Horizon's VP and Chief Architect Su Qing unveiled a paradigm shift in autonomous driving, likening Tesla's FSD V12 to the atomic bomb's proof-of-concept. Drawing from Horizon's newly mass-produced HSD (High-order Smart Driving) system, Su predicted urban L2 capabilities surging in affordability to 100,000 RMB vehicles within a year, while L4 deployment costs plummet via end-to-end data-driven models. Meanwhile, Zhixing Tech secured five parking assist projects from a top Chinese OEM, including four overseas in EU and East Asia, underscoring China's rapid globalization of smart driving tech.

Paradigm Shift: From Rules to End-to-End Learning

Su Qing highlighted how pre-2024 autonomous driving achieved only a 'half-revolution'—deep learning transformed perception, but rule-based planning kept behaviors 'unhuman-like.' Tesla's FSD V12 bridged the gap with a full end-to-end closed loop, unifying perception and control under data-driven paradigms learned from dense human driving data.

Key insights from Su:

• Product Experience Leap: Urban L2 will become 'highly human-like' in one year, dropping to 100,000 RMB ($14,000) models like automatic transmission today.
• L4 Efficiency Surge: No more high-precision maps or ODD limits; solve one complex city to cover the nation, enabling 'passenger car + Robotaxi' dual-mode at scale.
• Development 'Subtraction' Mode:剔除 bad behaviors from full human data sets, naturally emerging capabilities like autonomous roadside parking without explicit coding.

Su cautioned realism: Next 3 years focus on optimizing existing systems via compute power, larger models, and engineering—not AGI overhauls.

Horizon HSD: Mass-Producing Human-Replacement Machines

As HSD project lead, Su emphasized its goal: 'Build a machine replacing human drivers—or it's meaningless.' In 2-3 years, HSD aims for 'qualitative experience leaps' with L4-level performance at passenger car prices, democratizing advanced ADAS.

Zhixing Tech Accelerates Global Parking ADAS Deployment

Complementing Horizon's vision, Zhixing Tech announced five production wins for its 8TOPS BEV (Bird's Eye View) parking solution from a leading Chinese brand. Four are overseas projects targeting EU and East Asia.

• Tech Stack: BEV three-in-one perception for high-res OCC (overhead obstacle) grids detecting dangling objects; Grid Map planning for dynamic paths.
• Global Edge: Munich R&D center with 25-country database (20万+ km driving, 550万+ parking images); 70+ replicated overseas scenarios.
• Adaptability: Multi-compute platform, localized for habits like head-in parking or disabled spots.

This positions Zhixing for 'drive-park-charge' integrations as smart driving hits price parity.

Why This Matters: China's ADAS Global Dominance

These announcements signal China's EV industry entering an 'experience inflection point.' Horizon's HSD targets L4 ubiquity, slashing deployment barriers amid Tesla-inspired innovations. Zhixing's wins highlight platformized, localized tech outpacing rivals—China's ADAS exports now rival its battery dominance.

Competitive landscape: XPeng, NIO, and Zeekr integrate similar stacks, but Horizon/Zhixing's scale (e.g., 8TOPS affordability) pressures Waymo/LiDAR-heavy Western firms. Globally, expect cheaper Robotaxis and L2+ in mass-market EVs, accelerating 30%+ EV adoption by 2027.

Looking Ahead: Optimization Era Dawns

Su's 3-year optimization focus aligns with industry plateauing AI theory. Horizon pushes HSD to 'seamless L4,' while Zhixing's overseas hubs fast-track ADAS exports. Watch 2025 for 100k RMB L2+ models from BYD/NIO et al., redefining 'smart' in Chinese EVs—and beyond.