Marelli, a leading global tier-one automotive technology supplier, and XenomatiX, supplier of true “solid state LiDAR”, announced today at CES Las Vegas that they will enter into a technical and commercial development agreement in the autonomous driving field.

XenomatiX will provide Marelli’s Automotive Lighting division, with its true “solid state LiDAR” modules for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving (AD) applications. Marelli’s Automotive Lighting Division and XenomatiX will combine competencies and technologies to offer modular LiDAR system solutions to meet future global automotive needs, also leveraging the Artificial Intelligence (AI) perception technology derived from “Smart Me Up,” the French start-up acquired by Marelli in 2018.

LiDAR sensors are widely recognized in the automotive field for ADAS and AD applications. Applications such as lane change assist, highway pilot, or traffic jam assist will strongly rely on LiDAR systems. 

XenomatiX, with its true “solid state LiDAR” sensor, brings to the market a unique product based on proven semiconductor technology, designed for mass production, said the company.

Thanks to its distinctive features, the true solid state and multi-beam LiDAR technology developed by XenomatiX and Marelli’s Automotive Lighting division will provide high reliability and long range coverage, crucial to enable a variety of ADAS functions.

XenomatiX LiDAR is known for its high resolution, reliability and durability. Completely different from other LiDAR offerings, XenomatiX uses non-scanning LiDAR. The company’s XenoTrack and XenoLidar product lines already impressed many tier-one suppliers and OEMs, making XenomatiX a solid and experienced player in the LiDAR market, said the company.

“Marelli is glad to start this collaboration with a high-tech added value partner like XenomatiX,” said Sylvain Dubois, CEO of Marelli’s Automotive Lighting division. “Our objective is to support our customers in enabling a crucial set of functions in the ADAS and AD field thanks to the true solid state LiDAR technology of XenomatiX.”

Marelli Automotive Lighting’s long-standing systems integration, optical, electronics and software capabilities will perfectly complement XenomatiX state-of-the-art LiDAR components technology – either in a standalone form or as part of larger front and/or rear modules.

Leveraging its investments in perception technology, Marelli will be able to add object recognition and classification capabilities, based on AI, to the LiDAR systems built with XenomatiX components to support global OE customers on their journey towards making mobility more convenient and safe.

“Marelli is a leading automotive supplier with the right competencies to develop modular LiDAR solutions fulfilling different Automotive OEM needs, integrating them into larger systems, based on the True Solid State LiDAR technology we designed for the automotive market,” stated Filip Geuens, CEO of XenomatiX. Today, XenomatiX further reinforces its position as a tier-two supplier. “Marelli’s long-standing experience in the automotive field and with the 3D sensors is key to this partnership,’’ continued Geuens.

Marelli’s Automotive Lighting division holds a leading position at key OEMs worldwide and an associated footprint, which will be a key enabler for a full-scale deployment of these solutions in the coming years. The novel modular approach XenomatiX is taking for LiDAR sensors will serve multiple applications with flexibility, while optimizing R&D effort.

Marelli has strengthened its competence in the ADAS/AD domain with the introduction of the Smart Corner, a solution integrating sensors for autonomous driving within vehicle headlamps and tail lamps, while maintaining attractive styling and world-class lighting performance. The Smart Corner has been named a CES 2019 Innovation Awards Honoree in the vehicle intelligence and self-driving technology category.