Group 1 - Tesla is firmly advancing a pure vision approach, while several domestic new cars, including Li Auto's i8, are opting for lidar technology, indicating a continued divergence in the perception strategies for assisted driving [2][3] - Li Auto officially launched its electric vehicle i8 on July 29, with a price range of 321,800 to 369,800 yuan, and it is expected to start deliveries on August 20. The i8 series is notable for being equipped with lidar as standard, aligning with the lidar perception strategy [2][4] - Li Auto's CEO, Li Xiang, emphasized the value of lidar in extreme lighting conditions, stating that lidar can identify objects from 200 meters away, which is crucial for active safety [4] Group 2 - The i8 series utilizes Hesai Technology's ATL lidar, which is also standard in Li Auto's Mega and L series models launched earlier this year. The ATL lidar is smaller and has a 55% reduction in power consumption compared to its predecessor, with a resolution improvement of 2.5 times [5] - In the first half of the year, Li Auto's lidar installation rate increased by 43.11%, ranking it among the top in the domestic passenger car market. Other companies like AITO and Xiaomi saw even higher growth rates of 65.57% and 500.06%, respectively [5] - While companies like Tesla and XPeng are committed to pure vision solutions, the lidar market is experiencing rapid growth, with the first half of the year seeing a 83.14% year-on-year increase in lidar installations in China's passenger car market, totaling 1,043,900 units [8] Group 3 - The lidar market is witnessing accelerated penetration, with Hesai Technology delivering its second-generation ATX lidar and achieving significant orders from major manufacturers. Additionally, another industry leader, Suteng Juchuang, announced the delivery of its 1 millionth lidar unit [8][9] - The increase in lidar delivery is supported by ongoing technological advancements and cost reductions. For instance, Suteng Juchuang's lidar products have seen a gross margin increase to 15.1% due to the use of self-developed SoC chips [9] - The price of Hesai's new ATX product has dropped to $200, making it accessible for vehicles priced at around 100,000 yuan, indicating a positive cycle of cost reduction and market penetration [9]