Insight: Chinese Automakers Adopt Raytron, Will Night Vision See Demand Growth?

Chinese automakers adopt InfiRay FIR night‑vision with 300m range and AI detection, as low‑light AEB rules from 2027 may lift demand.

Chinese automakers are beginning to adopt far‑infrared (FIR) automotive night‑vision systems from Raytron and its InfiRay subsidiary, with four recent vehicle models and autonomous trucks deploying the technology. InfiRay’s uncooled FIR microbolometer arrays replace costly, bulky cooled medium-wave infrared (MWIR) systems, enabling compact, lighter, and more energy‑efficient sensors with up to 300-meter range and AI‑based object recognition. Starting in 2027, China-NCAP testing of autonomous emergency braking (AEB) will be conducted in low-light conditions, as per Europe and the US, which could drive future demand. However, only premium models have deployed the InfiRay sensor so far, and it is likely that demand will only come at the expense of MWIR sensors deployed on European-branded models that are losing sales in China.