November 9, 2022
The production line in Israel is planned to start mass production in early 2023. Cooperates with Mobileye and Qualcomm in the integration of LiDAR sensors in their computerized vehicle platforms. Raised the cumulative sales forecast to about $6.9 billion
Invis company (Innoviz) completed the preparation of the production line in Israel for the start of the mass production of LiDAR sensors for the German company BMW. Co-founder and CEO of Inviz, Omar Khilaf, said today in a conference call with analysts that production for BMW is planned for early 2023. According to him, the production line has completed the qualification phase called D-Sample. In the automotive industry, there are two final stages before entering production: after the system has passed all the manufacturer’s tests and the design is “locked”, it enters the C-Sample stage where the system’s compliance with all standards and regulatory requirements is tested. The manufacturer then enters the D-Sample stage which is the final stage.
This step ensures that the production line itself must meet the manufacturer’s requirements in terms of quantity, quality, safety and price. Inviz is an unusual company in this field because it provides the sensors and the environmental orientation software to the manufacturers as a main contractor (Tier-1) – and not as a subcontractor – providing subsystems for the main contractors of the manufacturers (OEM). This requires it to have production infrastructure at the level of a prime contractor, but on the other hand, puts it in a position where it has no direct competitors in the LiDAR market.
Cooperation with Qualcomm and Mobily
According to Khilaf, the completion of this phase guarantees a continuous improvement in the company’s profitability, since the production infrastructure has been established and therefore the investment that accompanies each program (NRE) is smaller as production increases. According to him, the company’s sensors and software were used in the smart and autonomous vehicle platforms of two of the leading companies in this field in the world: Mobileye and Qualcomm. The third company is Nvidia. “It is true that the customer chooses the sensor that best suits him, but there is a great advantage in the fact that you are already integrated into the vehicle platform. This gives the customer a great advantage because he can take advantage of capabilities and modules that have already been developed and achieve cost savings.”
In December 2022, the company reported that a major car manufacturer from Asia in its second generation sensor, InnovizTwo. The contract should start generating revenue in 2024. This is the third car manufacturer to choose Inviz for implementation in commercial models, along with BMW and Volkswagen. Following the win, Inviz raised its cumulative sales forecast to $6.9 billion. Now the company is waiting for the decision of three manufacturers who are expected to choose the sensor for future vehicle models in the next six months. Khilaf: “We are in contact with 11 car manufacturers who together produce about 40 million cars a year, which is about 42% of the entire global market.”
Posted in the categories: Automotive, electro-optics, news, autonomous vehicle, Israeli industry
Posted in tags: Innoviz, Inviz
