Chinese autonomous driving chip maker Horizon Robotics has reached a major production milestone, with the 15 millionth Journey chip now powering the FAW-Volkswagen ID. AURA T6. The announcement was made on September 15 at a ceremony in Shanghai's Lingang area, according to NetEase Auto.
The ID. AURA T6, the first model in FAW-Volkswagen's "intelligent electric 2.0" strategy, is equipped with the Journey 6H chip, supported by Horizon's HSD AI base model. This marks Horizon's entry into a joint-venture brand's new-energy vehicle lineup, while FAW-Volkswagen deepens its collaboration with local intelligent technology suppliers. Wang Shengli, a senior executive at FAW-Volkswagen, said the ID. AURA T6 is just the beginning, with further cooperation planned in the new-energy sector.
Horizon, founded in 2015, reached cumulative shipments of over 15 million Journey chips by 2026, with more than 8 million vehicles on the road using its technology. These vehicles have accumulated over 100 billion kilometres of real-world driving data, covering global, all-weather, and all-condition scenarios. According to Gao Gong Intelligent Automotive Research, Horizon's share of the domestic ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) chip market for independent brands exceeded 50% in the first half of 2026, roughly double its nearest competitor. In the urban NOA (city navigation on autopilot) chip segment, its share reached 22.8%, up 5 percentage points year-on-year.
Expanding beyond domestic automakers
Horizon is extending its business from Chinese automakers to the global supply chain. The company has partnered with Tier 1 suppliers such as Bosch, Aisin, Denso, and OmniVision, with overseas orders exceeding 20 million units. This international push requires adapting to different market and supply chain systems, a step beyond simply increasing domestic installations.
Horizon is also pushing ADAS capabilities into more affordable vehicle segments. Its strategic partner HCT has applied urban NOA to a 100,000 yuan (about $14,100) fuel-powered SUV using the Journey 6M chip. This move brings advanced driver assistance to mass-market vehicles, not just premium models.
On the software side, Horizon's HSD system is evolving. After releasing HSD V2.0 in June with "point-to-point navigation and full-dimension collision avoidance," the upcoming HSD V2.1 will introduce full-scene reversing capability, with end-to-end models directly generating trajectories and optimizations for tricky scenarios like tight spaces. Horizon CEO Yu Kai also announced that HSD will be mass-produced in a model from a leading new-energy vehicle maker within the year.
The 15 million chip milestone is not the finish line, Yu indicated. Instead, it represents a new starting point for Horizon's next phase of competitive scaling, as the company focuses on integrating chips, software, and partner ecosystems into a complete mass-production loop.
