China's urban NOA (city advanced driver assistance) market is tightening at the top, according to a new ranking from Chinese outlet D1EV. Over the first nine months of 2025, Huawei installed 519,500 urban NOA systems, just 1,325 units ahead of Momenta's 518,200 - a margin so thin that D1EV predicts Momenta will take the cumulative lead in October based on September's monthly gap.
The data, compiled from monthly insurance registrations of passenger cars, shows urban NOA is becoming a default feature on new energy vehicles. In September, 243 models carried the technology, up 22 from August, and installations grew 13.7% month-on-month to roughly 498,000 units - nearly double the 7.3% growth rate of overall passenger car registrations. Cumulative penetration reached 24.9% from January to September, climbing from 17.85% to 30.35% over the period.
Third-party suppliers take the lead
The competitive landscape has shifted decisively toward third-party solution providers. Combining the in-house systems of Tesla, Li Auto, Xiaomi, Nio, Xpeng and Changan, self-developed solutions accounted for just 39.5% of September installations, down from 51.2% in March. Third-party suppliers now hold roughly 60% of the market, with Huawei, Momenta, Yuanrong and Tesla each taking 12% to 20% in September.
Huawei's installation volume has held steady - 64,600 units in January versus 62,500 in September - but its market share has halved as the overall market expanded from 270,000 to 498,000 units monthly. The growth is coming from vehicles priced below 200,000 yuan (about $28,200), a segment dominated by BYD's God's Eye B systems, Leapmotor, GWM's Haval and MG models - precisely the territory where Momenta and Yuanrong compete.
The 100,000 to 200,000 yuan price band is now the battleground, D1EV notes. It accounts for 740,000 registrations - the largest segment - and has accumulated 118,000 urban NOA installations, led by Leapmotor's A10, Xpeng's L03, and models from GAC's Aion and others. Whether urban NOA becomes truly universal depends on this segment crossing the 50% penetration threshold, a milestone D1EV expects by 2027 as new models increasingly ship with the feature standard.
D1EV also addressed a dispute with Momenta over its August data, saying it had verified its model-by-model classification with each brand. The outlet acknowledged missing the Denza D9 and BYD Leopard 5 in August due to registration classification issues, and said it revises historical data as new information emerges. It noted that Momenta's list of omitted models included some that do not support urban NOA, such as the Hongqi H5 and HQ9, and certain BYD trims.
