The concept of integrated cockpit and driving systems has been discussed for years, yet truly mass-produced and implemented solutions remain scarce. On May 27th, Zhuoyu Technology unveiled its third model, the JiHu WenDao V9, a full-size MPV starting at 194,800 yuan. Looking back seven months, the Alpha T5 and Alpha S5 have already been launched. With SUV, sedan, and MPV body types all successfully validated, Zhuoyu has covered the full spectrum. During the same period, most integrated cockpit and driving solutions remain stuck at the定点 or engineering validation stage. Zhuoyu utilizes the Qualcomm SA8775P chip. In an era where autonomous driving chips often boast computing power exceeding a thousand TOPS, its算力 is not particularly high. Its strategy is not about stacking parameters but repeatedly applying a single architecture, platformizing the underlying software stack, and enabling rapid adaptation to different wheelbases and powertrain types—the transition from T5 to S5 to V9 did not require starting from scratch. Each additional mass-produced vehicle adds another card to the table for the next定点 negotiation. In Zhuoyu's solution, the cockpit and intelligent驾驶 systems run on two isolated operating systems, with the driving system operating in an independent安全 environment free from UI rendering interference. Computing power is dynamically allocated via software, lent to the cockpit when parked and prioritized for intelligent驾驶 while driving. Liquid cooling design manages full-load temperatures, with over 30% of computing power reserved for future OTA updates. For users, the most noticeable perception is response speed—saying "start parking" triggers the interface instantly, and switching songs or adjusting air conditioning during autonomous driving happens without lag. This is underpinned by direct data connection between cockpit and driving systems, reducing communication latency from milliseconds to microseconds. Architecture is merely the foundation; the perception and decision-making layers running on it determine the experience. Zhuoyu's inertial navigation binocular system acquires depth information through stereo vision parallax, generating dense point clouds capable of identifying and avoiding irregular obstacles like traffic cones, water-filled barriers, and rocks, functioning stably even in rain, fog, or night conditions. The decision-making layer employs a highly intuitive end-to-end model trained with reinforcement learning. Platform reuse constitutes another layer of competitiveness. The underlying architecture and software stack are not overhauled for different vehicle models, enabling rapid adaptation to varying wheelbases and powertrain types. Suppliers are vying for this赛道, motivated by a very specific calculation. The founder of Horizon Robotics once stated that a single-chip solution reduces hardware costs by 20% to 30%, saving 1,500 to 4,000 yuan per vehicle, while compressing R&D and delivery cycles from 18 months to 8 months. According to Zosi Automotive Research statistics, sales of mass-produced vehicles with integrated cockpit and driving systems will reach 1.67 million units in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 43%. However, those successfully implementing "integrated cockpit and driving" on a single chip remain a minority. The true significance of this calculation lies in the mid-to-low-end market. The 100,000 to 200,000 yuan range is the main price segment in China's automotive market, where urban NOA remains a scarce配置 in this bracket—not due to algorithmic shortcomings, but because the cost of two separate domain controllers is prohibitive. The BOM savings from integrated cockpit and driving systems are sufficient for automakers to transform high-end intelligent驾驶 from an optional extra to a standard feature. The WenDao V9 serves as an example: a full-size MPV starting at 194,800 yuan comes with standard urban NOA and full-scenario automatic parking across all trims—a配置 that was exclusive to 300,000-yuan-level models just two years ago. Whoever helps automakers achieve this first secures the定点. This赛道 is becoming increasingly crowded. Within the Qualcomm 8775 camp, Desay SV's integrated cockpit and driving domain controller has reduced the combined cost of intelligent cockpit and driving to below 6,000 yuan, securing定点 with Chery and Tata. Bosch is simultaneously adapting to both Qualcomm and MediaTek lines. China TSP United, Huayang, and Thundercomm collectively showcased their 8775 solutions at the Beijing Auto Show. Outside this camp, Horizon Robotics' Starry chip, built on a 5nm process with 650 TOPS, is making its debut with iCAR. Black Sesame's Wudang C1200 is partnered with Dongfeng. Qualcomm's own SA8797 chip pushes computing power to 320 TOPS, with Li Auto and Leapmotor already signed on. Before the 8775 solution has even solidified its position, the迭代 pressure from next-generation chips has already arrived. However, computing power is not the only barrier. At the Beijing Auto Show, some already-launched integrated cockpit and driving models exhibited issues with inflated computing power claims and体验 lag. Engineering challenges like virtualization isolation, computing power scheduling, and thermal management can only be addressed through repeated mass production. The experience Zhuoyu has gained across three vehicle types is indeed a稀缺 advantage in the short term. Zhuoyu's data shows that as of March 2026, it has 20合作 clients, covering 32 brands, with cumulative mass-produced models exceeding 50 and定点突破 100 models. Its client list encompasses half of the Chinese market. Integrated cockpit and driving is just one line in Zhuoyu's current expansion path, but it may be the most critical one. The shelf life of this experience advantage is also limited. As more solution providers complete their first mass production and higher-computing-power chips level the engineering difficulty playing field, the moat of first movers will浅. Zosi forecasts a compound annual growth rate of 36% for this market from 2026 to 2030, indicating significant incremental space, but the number of seats in the赛道 is limited. The mass production节奏 over the next year or two will likely determine how long each supplier can remain at this table.
Comments