Chinese automaker SAIC Motor invests in driving monitoring system

• SAIC is China’s largest automaker for the past 15 years
• Cipia is delivering its market-leading Driver Monitoring System (DMS) to SAIC
• Driver Sense DMS is integrated by Tier 1 Technomous into SAIC Motor’s Roewe RX5 MAX model

For the past 15 years, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC Motor) is China’s largest traditional automaker. Owned by the Chinese government, the automaker is now adding more features to its electric vehicles.

SAIC Motor recently announced the official operation of its Mobility Robotaxi, which is also China’s first L4 self-driving platform in China.

Cooperating with Momenta, SAIC Motor Lab would provide intelligent driving solutions to Robotaxi; its platform offers powerful computing power with 600 trillion operations per second.

Its “vision + radar” solution can also independently complete 3D perception and data-driven fusion to ensure multiple and high-level redundancies in the system.

Now, Cipia, an auto-tech company providing automakers and fleets with advanced AI-based in-cabin sensing solutions for driver and interior monitoring, has announced the first purchase order from Tier 1 Technomous, and the start of production with China’s largest automotive company SAIC Motor.

Cipia is delivering its market-leading Driver Monitoring System (DMS), Driver Sense, for integration in the Roewe RX5 MAX car model running on TI TDA4VM SoC, with production already underway.

This project joins other car models already in serial production with Driver Sense on board. The project with Technomous for SAIC was included in Cipia’s IPO prospectus as part of the design wins and forecasted lifecycle value.

David Tolub, CEO of Cipia said, “The integration of the system in such a short time span is a testament to the quality of the solution and service level, and offers automotive manufacturers the ability to remain at the edge of technology and safety, and enjoy a competitive advantage in the market.”

Research from Continental China and non-profit organization HCVC, 74% of people who survived road traffic accidents attributed the main cause to distracted driving.

With the growing number of distractions in cars coupled with an overreliance on semi-autonomous driving features, there is a clear need for technology to mitigate the dangers of distracted driving.

The computer vision and AI technology powering Driver Sense monitors and analyzes the driver’s behavior by detecting visual attributes such as eyelids, pupils, gaze direction, and more. This then translates them to the physiological state of the driver (drowsiness, distraction, talking on the phone, etc.), enabling life-saving warnings and actions.

The Chinese automotive market has been in a steady growth state for the past two decades. In 2020, 25 million vehicles were manufactured in China, a figure more than the US and EU combined.

In recent years, Chinese automakers started acquiring international auto brands and targeting western markets with international brands.

SAIC Motor has been the top-selling automotive manufacturer in China for 15 consecutive years, reaching a sales volume of 5.6 million vehicles across its brands in 2020.

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