Picasso 6D SPAD Sensor by Hesai Group: status and timeline

Milestones

No announced next step

Picasso announced as 6D full-color SPAD-SoCApr 2026Complete.

Current obstacles

Automotive integration complexityFull-color SPAD lidar is new technology. Integration requires extensive validation and OEM collaboration.

Physics limits

Cost and complexitySPAD sensors are more complex and expensive than conventional lidar.

How it works

2 parts

Detection

Single-photon sensitivity

SPAD detectors sense individual photons, enabling longer range and low-light performance.

Information

6D point cloud with color

Captures XYZ coordinates, reflectance, material properties and full RGB color for richer scene understanding.

Spec sheet

Spec	Picasso 6D SPAD Sensor
Technology	SPAD with full-color imaging^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

About Hesai Group

The team behind Picasso 6D SPAD Sensor

Hesai Group

Automotive lidar, 43% market share, Mercedes-Benz L3

Chinese lidar manufacturer founded 2014; listed NASDAQ 2023. Dominates long-range ADAS lidar with 43% global market share and 55% in China as of 2026. Mercedes-Benz selected Hesai as strategic lidar supplier for Level 3 vehicles.

Shipped 471,723 lidar units in Q1 2026; ADAS units reached 353,441 (141.9% YoY increase).
Holds 43% global market share in long-range ADAS lidar and 55% in China, roughly triple competitors.
Mercedes-Benz announced Hesai as strategic lidar partner and confirmed supplier for Level 3 models.

hesaitech.com (opens hesaitech.com)Company profile →

Founded: 201412 yrs
Headquarters: China
Status: Public
Valuation: public
Works in: VehiclesSelf-driving software
Coverage: 2 programs · 5 updateslatest 19 May 2026checked 11 Oct
Customers: Mercedes-Benz (opens mercedes-benz.com)NIO (opens nio.com)XPeng (opens xpeng.com)Li Auto (opens lixiang.com)