Xin Lang Cai Jing·2025-11-14 10:33Core Viewpoint - The business merger of Chinese automotive lidar company TuDatong (Seyond) with SPAC TechStar Acquisition Corporation has successfully passed the Hong Kong Stock Exchange listing hearing, with a valuation set at HKD 11.7 billion, expected to officially list on December 10, 2025. This marks TuDatong as the third completed De-SPAC merger in Hong Kong, alongside Lion Group and Zhaogang Group, forming a competitive landscape with Hesai and RoboSense in the lidar sector. However, concerns remain regarding TuDatong's limited business layout, lack of financial self-sustainability, and valuation rationality, alongside a tumultuous listing history, necessitating market awareness of these operational risks [1][2]. Group 1: Market Position and Sales Performance - TuDatong ranks fourth in the global market share for ADAS lidar solutions with 12.8% as of 2024, but this ranking is misleading as it is primarily supported by high product pricing rather than sales volume. The average price of TuDatong's lidar is RMB 4,607 per unit, significantly higher than Hesai's RMB 2,022 and RoboSense's RMB 2,702, leading to much lower sales volumes [3][6]. - In the first five months of 2025, TuDatong sold only 81,214 units of lidar, while Hesai and RoboSense achieved sales of 989,311 and 266,800 units respectively, highlighting TuDatong's struggle to compete in terms of volume despite its high pricing [3][6]. Group 2: Customer Dependency and Financial Performance - TuDatong's revenue is heavily reliant on a single customer, NIO, with revenue contributions from NIO accounting for 88.7% to 91.6% from 2022 to early 2025. This dependency ties TuDatong's performance closely to NIO's financial health, which has been underperforming compared to competitors like Li Auto and Xpeng [4][5]. - TuDatong has faced persistent financial losses, with losses increasing from USD 188 million in 2022 to USD 398 million in 2024, and a loss of USD 21.49 million in the first five months of 2025. In contrast, Hesai achieved profitability in 2024, and RoboSense has been narrowing its losses [7][8]. Group 3: Competitive Landscape and Valuation Concerns - TuDatong's high product pricing has hindered its ability to attract new customers and expand into new business areas, unlike Hesai and RoboSense, which are actively pursuing international clients and diversifying their applications in robotics and smart driving [5][9]. - The PIPE financing raised HKD 551 million from three investors, but the limited amount may not be sufficient to overcome TuDatong's operational and profitability challenges. The company's valuation of HKD 11.7 billion corresponds to a TTM price-to-sales ratio of 11.1, which is higher than Hesai's 10.5 and RoboSense's 10.3, indicating a significant valuation mismatch given TuDatong's lack of profitability and limited customer base [9][10][11].