2025 Automotive High-Precision Positioning Report: IMU Integration and Global Technology Trends
ResearchAndMarkets.com has added the “Automotive High-Precision Positioning Research Report, 2025” to its offerings, providing in-depth insights into the fast-evolving landscape of precision navigation technologies, their application in autonomous driving, and market forecasts through the end of the decade. As the automotive industry accelerates toward higher levels of autonomy, the role of Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), and software-hardware integration is more critical than ever.
Rising Demand for High-Precision Positioning Amid L2+ Autonomy Growth
In 2024, China’s penetration rate for advanced autonomous driving—classified as L2.5 highway Navigate-on-Autopilot (NOA) and L2.9 urban and highway NOA—reached 11.4%. This figure is expected to nearly triple to 31.6% by 2030. While highway NOA scenarios typically require lane-level or decimeter-level accuracy, urban NOA deployments demand centimeter-level positioning precision due to narrow lanes and complex traffic environments.
High-precision positioning systems are becoming foundational in autonomous vehicle perception stacks. Their accuracy, consistency, and reliability underpin the safety and functionality of next-generation driver-assistance systems and full autonomy.
Evolution Toward Domain Controller Integration and All-in-One Solutions
A key development trend in 2025 is the integration of IMUs into domain controllers, enabling centralized, high-performance computing that facilitates real-time vehicle localization with greater accuracy. This trend supports L3+ autonomous driving applications, where precision, redundancy, and fail-safe mechanisms are paramount.
Sixents Technology has introduced a significant breakthrough with its “Smart Driving Software, Hardware and Service Integrated Positioning Terminal,” released in the first half of 2024. This terminal combines the capabilities of multiple product lines into a single modular platform, replacing the traditional P-BOX approach. It not only integrates high-precision GNSS and IMU modules but also includes a proprietary terminal algorithm (PE) and a differential correction service (CS), delivering an end-to-end, domain-controller-friendly positioning solution.
The solution’s integration model significantly reduces complexity and cost—up to 30% compared to conventional configurations—and provides a unified architecture for domestic and global applications. This removes the need for OEMs to reconfigure systems when launching vehicles internationally. Sixents reports the deployment of its high-precision services across over 15 million vehicles spanning 40+ models, offering over 10 billion precise location services daily through a network of 3,000+ sites.
Multi-Sensor Fusion Enables SLAM for Harsh Environments
To overcome limitations in GPS-denied areas, the integration of vision and inertial navigation—known as visual-inertial navigation systems (VINS)—is gaining traction. Cameras embedded with IMUs use sensor fusion to deliver stable, precise mapping and localization (SLAM: Simultaneous Localization and Mapping). These systems perform well in challenging scenarios like tunnels, heavy rain, or underground garages.
DJI, leveraging its drone expertise, pioneered visual-inertial navigation in automotive contexts as early as 2016. In 2025, the company is set to release a cost-effective trinocular camera + LiDAR assembly for automotive SLAM, aiming to replace more expensive LiDAR-P-BOX hybrid solutions.
Similarly, Sixents has developed a vision-based positioning terminal that combines binocular cameras, IMUs, GNSS, RTK, and advanced fusion algorithms, enhancing performance across diverse driving environments.
Breakthroughs in Automotive-Grade MEMS IMUs and AI Integration
Sensor miniaturization and AI processing at the edge are revolutionizing IMU design. STMicroelectronics launched the ASM330LHBG1, an automotive-grade inertial module that combines a three-axis accelerometer, a three-axis gyroscope, and integrated AI computing via a machine-learning core (MLC) and programmable finite state machine (FSM). These allow the chip to perform low-power, localized AI tasks for adaptive positioning.
Asensing Technology, another leader in localization tech, unveiled its GST80 programmable MEMS IMU chip at the 2024 Beijing International Auto Show. The GST80 is China’s first high-integration automotive-grade IMU with an embedded microcontroller unit (MCU), supporting domestic autonomy in sensor production and ensuring supply chain security.
OEM Strategies: Reducing Hardware Costs, Enhancing Algorithm Efficiency
Cost-efficiency remains a primary goal for OEMs. Domain controller integration helps consolidate sensor functions and reduce the total bill of materials. OEMs are also replacing costly HD maps with SD pro MAP and enhancing algorithmic sophistication with techniques like IMU noise modeling, online calibration, and temperature compensation.
The adoption of hybrid localization technologies—combining LiDAR, vision, and IMU—is becoming more prevalent for its superior resilience in dynamic or GPS-restricted conditions. These tightly coupled systems are especially effective in high-speed driving, dense traffic, and urban canyons.
Market Size, Applications, and Competitive Landscape
Market Applications and Forecasts
High-precision positioning is being deployed in a growing number of vehicles—both passenger cars and commercial applications like low-speed delivery robots and autonomous trucks. The estimated number of installations in China is expected to grow exponentially from 2024 through 2028, driven by increasing ADAS and autonomy adoption.
Key OEMs and Their Positioning Solutions
Top OEMs like Geely, XPeng, Li Auto, NIO, and GAC, along with international players like Tesla and Huawei-backed brands (Avatr, Seres, ARCFOX), have already integrated high-precision positioning modules into their mass-market and premium models.
OEMs are choosing between different sensor packages and integration methods, with some opting for in-house development and others partnering with leading suppliers.
Leading Suppliers in High-Precision Positioning
Domestic Leaders:
- Sixents Technology
- Asensing
- Qianxun SI
- BYNAV
- ComNav
- BDStar Navigation
- DJI
International Players:
- STMicroelectronics
- Bosch
- u-blox
- Novatel
These companies offer a mix of hardware (GNSS receivers, IMUs), software (correction algorithms, SLAM), and services (differential correction, PPP-RTK), addressing a broad spectrum of OEM and Tier 1 needs.
Technological Innovations:
- Shift from NRTK to PPP-RTK for global service scalability
- Low-orbit satellite utilization for faster corrections
- Integrated AI and fusion algorithms for robustness and low-latency
Toward Global, Unified High-Precision Positioning Systems
As autonomous vehicle programs scale up, the convergence of GNSS, IMU, AI algorithms, and domain controller architectures is paving the way for highly reliable and cost-effective high-precision positioning systems. The ability to deploy unified, globally compatible positioning modules is becoming a key competitive differentiator for OEMs.
Whether through AI-enhanced IMUs or vision-integrated SLAM, the next phase of high-precision positioning will center on adaptability, scalability, and system-level intelligence. With significant strides being made by domestic and global suppliers alike, the 2025–2030 period is set to define the future of automotive autonomy through innovations in positioning.
