OmniWheel, a supplier of radar and perception technology for automated driving, held its China ecosystem conference in Shanghai on October 23, 2026, where it globally unveiled its seventh-generation millimetre-wave radar, the RAD72C, and signed a strategic agreement with chipmaker Calterah. The event, themed "Upgrade, Collaborate, Break Through," gathered executives from automakers, component suppliers, chip and software firms, and industry bodies to discuss supply-chain resilience and the push toward higher-quality exports, according to D1EV.
Local development, global debut
The RAD72C was developed by OmniWheel's local Chinese team, with 100% of core outsourced components sourced domestically. The radar uses a single-layer antenna design that cuts component count by about 20%, improving integration and reliability, the company said. It also leverages an AI- and data-driven perception development system to continuously iterate algorithms, offering higher performance and better cost competitiveness. Mass production is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2027.
Tang En, president and CEO of OmniWheel China, said the Chinese auto industry is at a pivotal stage where success depends less on individual breakthroughs and more on ecosystem-wide collaboration. "Since becoming an independent operation in September 2025, OmniWheel has strengthened its local innovation, rapid response, and open collaboration capabilities in China," he said. The global debut of the radar in China underscores the market's importance in OmniWheel's worldwide innovation strategy.
Partnership and white papers
During the conference, OmniWheel and Calterah signed a strategic cooperation agreement covering the seventh-generation radar project, including development coordination, validation support, production preparation, and supply-chain collaboration. The two companies aim to enhance the radar's technical adaptability, cost competitiveness, local response, and mass-production stability in China, and will explore further cooperation on next-generation vehicle-grade chip platforms.
OmniWheel also released two technology white papers, which it will open to ecosystem partners. The first, on "AI-defined vehicles," examines the industry's shift from software-defined vehicles (SDV) to AI-defined vehicles (AIDV), covering architecture, safety validation, and large-scale deployment. The second focuses on 48V low-voltage power distribution systems for next-generation vehicle electrical and electronic architectures. Chen Yuan, CTO of OmniWheel China, described the transition as moving from "updatable" to "evolving" vehicles.
In a roundtable discussion on "paths to collaborative breakthroughs in the Chinese auto market," executives from GWM, Leapmotor, Chery, and Tianbo Group joined OmniWheel's China vice president and chief commercial officer Zhang Xiaomin to discuss high-quality exports. Participants agreed that Chinese automakers are moving from exporting scale to exporting ecosystems, with competition extending beyond products and prices to brand building, compliance certification, engineering delivery, supply-chain localisation, and service systems.
OmniWheel positions itself as an enabler for Chinese automakers going global, leveraging its worldwide R&D, production, supply chain, and after-sales networks to help clients navigate overseas regulations, certification, delivery, and localisation challenges. The conference also included sessions on supply-chain resilience, AI-defined vehicles, export organisation building, and talent development, along with an awards ceremony for outstanding suppliers.
