·       Full-range provider for radar sensor technology: FORVIA HELLA expands its 360-degree radar portfolio with the high-resolution radar “ForWave7HD”

·       Key technology for SAE Level 2+ and 3: High-resolution radars offer significantly higher object separation at a range of around 400 meters

·       Series production from mid-2028 for a global premium manufacturer: The order volume is in the low to mid three-digit million euro range

International automotive supplier FORVIA HELLA has received a series production order for high-resolution radar sensors (High Resolution Radar Sensors, HRR) from a global premium manufacturer. The order volume for this project is in the low to mid three-digit million euro range. Production of the high-resolution radars is expected to start from mid-2028 within FORVIA HELLA’s European production network. Development is taking place at the Company’s headquarters in Lippstadt, Germany.

“With this newly acquired series order for high-resolution radars, we now offer a comprehensive sensor portfolio from a single source, precisely, tailor-made, and cost-efficiently meeting the requirements of the various development stages for automated driving. This not only strengthens our market position as a full-range provider for radar sensor technology but also makes a significant contribution to increased road safety,” says Jörg Weisgerber, Member of the Management Board responsible for FORVIA HELLA’s global electronics business. “This also enables the widespread adoption of advanced driver assistance systems, drives the trend toward autonomous driving, and thus makes an important contribution to improving road safety. Our radar business, already one of our key growth drivers, will continue to gain momentum as a result.”

Key technology for automated driving at Level 2+ and 3

High-resolution radars (HRR) are an indispensable key technology for automated driving systems at SAE Level 2+ and 3. While vehicles at Level 2+ (partial automation) can already steer, accelerate, and brake entirely on their own (the driver must supervise the system at all times), Level 3 (conditional automation) allows the vehicle to take over the driving task completely under certain conditions. These systems are particularly important in traffic jams or at speeds up to about 100 km/h on highways. To ensure safe and reliable operation, radar sensors with significantly increased performance are required, capable of detecting objects and road users at greater distances with even higher precision.

FORVIA HELLA’s high-resolution radar sensor ForWave7HD is a central component here, thanks to its significantly improved environmental detection capabilities. With its high resolution and numerous transmit and receive channels, it reliably detects even small objects just a few centimeters in size, such as lost cargo on the road or cones in construction zones. With an improved angular resolution of less than 1°, the sensor can also distinguish closely spaced objects, such as vehicles in dense urban traffic or individuals within groups. State-of-the-art antenna and chip technologies enable a detection range of up to 400 meters, an expanded field of view, and optimized close-range detection.

FORVIA HELLA becomes a full-range provider for radar sensor technology with new customer order

FORVIA HELLA initially established itself as a leading supplier of 24 GHz corner radars for rear applications and subsequently successfully launched 77 GHz radar sensors into series production. These sensors, placed at the corners of vehicles, cover front and rear applications such as lane change or intersection assistants, but can also be installed in the central front position of a vehicle, in the area of the radiator grille, or behind the brand emblem. The company produced its 100 millionth radar sensor in autumn of this year.

With the series order for ForWave7HD radar sensors, FORVIA HELLA, as a leading supplier of front and rear radar solutions with up to four transmit and four receive channels, is completing its product portfolio with high-resolution radar sensors (“ForWave7HD”). These high-resolution radars from FORVIA HELLA are based on a modular and scalable platform approach, which can be equipped with a significantly higher number of channels – for example, 32 transmit and 32 receive channels. This allows them to be adapted to the specific requirements of customers and markets, ranging from cost-efficient to performance-oriented applications.

The high-resolution radar sensors are part of FORVIA HELLA’s ForWave7 radar product family. In addition to the ForWave7HD variant, FORVIA HELLA has developed “ForWave7e,” a particularly cost-optimized version that still delivers high performance. FORVIA HELLA received an order for this variant from a leading automotive supplier in Asia in the summer of this year. Alongside the ForWave7HD and ForWave7e variants, this radar product family also includes two further versions with different cost-performance ratios, as well as a variant specifically designed for truck applications.