Automotive 4D Radar Industry Research Report 2025: From Optional Sensor to Core Autonomous Driving Technology
The “Automotive 4D Radar Industry Research Report, 2025” has been officially added to the ResearchAndMarkets.com portfolio, offering an in-depth analysis of one of the fastest-evolving perception technologies in the global automotive industry. The report highlights a decisive shift underway in vehicle sensing architectures: 4D imaging radar is rapidly transitioning from an optional feature to an essential component, with its market share projected to exceed 50% by 2030.
Once viewed as a supplementary sensor, 4D radar is now becoming a cornerstone of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and higher-level autonomous driving. This transformation is being driven by tightening safety regulations, rising expectations for autonomous functionality, and the inherent limitations of camera- and LiDAR-based perception in real-world driving environments.
Why 4D Radar Is Becoming Indispensable
Unlike conventional automotive radar, 4D imaging radar adds height (elevation) detection to traditional measurements of distance, speed, and azimuth. This additional dimension enables vehicles to better understand the three-dimensional structure of their surroundings, significantly improving object classification and trajectory prediction.
One of the most compelling advantages of 4D radar is its robust performance in adverse conditions. Unlike cameras, which suffer in low light or glare, and LiDAR, which can degrade in rain, fog, snow, or dust, 4D radar remains highly reliable regardless of lighting or weather. As a result, it has emerged as a critical perception sensor for autonomous driving systems that must operate safely in all environments.
From high-speed highways to dense urban settings, 4D radar enables vehicles to detect and track a wide range of objects, including pedestrians, cyclists, motorcycles, roadside obstacles, and stationary hazards—often at long distances and under challenging conditions.
Regulatory Pressure Accelerates Adoption
A major catalyst for the rapid uptake of 4D radar is the global tightening of vehicle safety regulations, particularly around automatic emergency braking (AEB).
In April 2025, China’s National Technical Committee of Auto Standardization (NTCAS) released a draft of the “Technical Requirements and Test Methods for Automatic Emergency Braking Systems of Light-Duty Vehicles.” This draft standard is intended to replace the existing GB/T 39901-2021 recommended national standard and marks a significant regulatory escalation.
The proposal calls for AEB systems to move from optional installation to mandatory standard configuration, requiring all M1 and N1 vehicles sold in China to be equipped with AEB as standard starting January 1, 2028. At the same time, the regulation raises performance thresholds, including higher operating speeds before braking and stricter requirements for detection accuracy.
These changes place new demands on forward-looking perception systems. Radars must now deliver longer detection ranges, stronger recognition of weak or low-reflectivity objects, higher multi-object resolution, and—critically—accurate height measurement. Traditional radar struggles in these areas, while 4D imaging radar is specifically designed to meet these enhanced requirements.
Supporting L2+ and L3 Autonomous Driving
As L2+ and L3 autonomous driving functions gain traction globally, the importance of 4D radar becomes even more pronounced. Features such as highway Navigation on Autopilot (NOA) and urban NOA rely on robust sensor fusion to compensate for the shortcomings of individual sensing modalities.
In high-speed scenarios, for example, AEB systems must reliably detect not only large vehicles but also smaller or atypical obstacles—such as children crossing the road, fallen motorcycles, or debris—often at long distances. These detection tasks frequently occur at night, in poor weather, or in complex environments where cameras and LiDAR may struggle.
4D radar fills these gaps by offering stable, long-range detection and precise motion tracking even in low-visibility conditions. Some solutions on the market already enable AEB functionality using a single 4D imaging radar sensor. A notable example is the Aumovio ARS620, which meets China’s AEB requirements with detection ranges of up to 280 meters for vehicles and motorcycles and 174 meters for pedestrians.
Closing the Perception Gap with Performance Advances
One of the most significant breakthroughs of 4D imaging radar is its ability to overcome the traditional limitations of radar perception. Conventional radar has difficulty detecting high-altitude obstacles, such as overhead signs or height-restriction poles, as well as stationary objects, including illegally parked vehicles on ramps.
Modern 4D radar systems address these challenges through dramatic improvements in angular resolution and point cloud density. With angular resolution reaching 1–2 degrees, comparable to 8–32 channel LiDAR, and point cloud densities more than eight times higher than traditional radar, 4D radar can clearly reconstruct object contours and spatial relationships.
For example, products such as the SINPRO SFR-2K, which generates 2,048 points per frame, enable accurate detection of partially obscured objects, including the brake lights or deceleration behavior of vehicles ahead. Even in rain, snow, fog, or haze, 4D radar can maintain detection ranges approaching 300 meters, significantly outperforming cameras and LiDAR under similar conditions.
Market Outlook: 4D Radar to Surpass 50% Penetration by 2030
According to the report’s analysts, 2.737 million 4D radar sensors were installed in vehicles in 2024, rising sharply to 11.06 million units in 2025. By 2030, annual installations are expected to exceed 50 million units, with overall penetration climbing from 26.0% in 2025 to 54.5%.
Both forward-facing 4D radar and 4D corner radar are projected to see rapid growth, with corner radar experiencing the fastest adoption rate. This reflects OEM strategies that increasingly emphasize full-surround perception for autonomous driving and advanced safety applications.
OEM Sensor Strategies and System-Level Tradeoffs
Automakers increasingly view 4D radar as a critical complement to cameras and LiDAR, rather than a replacement. Each sensor plays a distinct role within an integrated perception stack:
- Cameras deliver high-resolution semantic understanding and color information.
- LiDAR provides dense three-dimensional shape and precise spatial mapping.
- 4D radar offers robust distance, velocity, and height data under all visibility conditions.
OEMs balance performance, cost, power consumption, and system integration complexity when selecting sensor configurations. As 4D radar technology matures and costs decline, it is becoming an attractive option for both premium and mass-market vehicles.
Three Key Directions in 4D Radar Development
1. Advanced Chip Processes and Higher Integration
At the heart of every radar system are radio-frequency MMICs, which have evolved from GaAs to SiGe and now CMOS technologies. CMOS-based radar chips offer lower wafer costs and higher integration, enabling significant system-level cost reductions.
Modern designs often require just one RF front-end MMIC and one baseband IC, cutting system costs by up to 40%. For instance, NXP’s 28 nm RFCMOS SAF85xx radar chip delivers improved performance at a lower cost compared to its 45 nm predecessor.
Similarly, Calterah’s Andes premium 8T8R imaging radar solution, based on a 22 nm CMOS radar SoC, achieves detection ranges of up to 350 meters while maintaining a competitive cost structure.
2. Diverse Channel Expansion Approaches
RF MMICs and processors account for more than 50% of the total cost of a 4D radar system, prompting vendors to explore different approaches to boost performance while controlling expenses.
One widely used method is chip cascading, where multiple MMICs are combined to increase channel count and aperture size. While this approach benefits from mature supply chains and shorter development cycles, it also introduces tradeoffs in power consumption, size, and signal-to-noise ratio.
Examples include WHST’s STA77-6 and ST77-10 radar products, as well as high-end 24T24R imaging radar solutions built on NXP’s S32R47 processor. These systems can achieve imaging-level accuracy with hundreds of virtual channels, enabling reliable detection of small, scattered objects at distances exceeding 160 meters.
3. Advanced Packaging and Module Miniaturization
Radar packaging technology is evolving toward higher integration and smaller form factors. Current approaches include AiP, RoP, LoP/LiP, and RoC, each with distinct advantages.
- AiP (Antenna in Package) prioritizes extreme miniaturization, making it suitable for in-cabin or space-constrained applications.
- LoP (Lens on Package) improves signal-to-noise ratio by reducing signal conversion steps, supporting high-resolution applications such as corner radar and L3+ autonomy.
- RoP (Radiator on Package) represents a newer direction, balancing channel isolation, mechanical stability, and integration efficiency.
These innovations are enabling more flexible radar placement across vehicle architectures.
Satellite-Based 4D Radar and Centralized Computing
A growing trend highlighted in the report is satellite-based 4D radar, which supports a distributed sensing and centralized computing architecture. In this model, radar sensors focus on data acquisition, while processing and decision-making are handled by a powerful central domain controller.
This software–hardware decoupling approach reduces redundancy, lowers overall system costs, and aligns with broader vehicle trends toward centralized and zonal electronic architectures.
Comprehensive Coverage of the 4D Radar Ecosystem
The report provides extensive coverage of the global 4D radar landscape, including market forecasts, technology comparisons, OEM strategies, and detailed profiles of leading Chinese and international radar suppliers, chipmakers, and antenna providers. It also examines vehicle models already equipped with 4D radar and compares competing technical solutions across performance metrics.
From Emerging Technology to Industry Standard
The Automotive 4D Radar Industry Research Report, 2025 makes clear that 4D imaging radar is no longer a niche innovation. Driven by regulation, autonomous driving demands, and rapid technological progress, it is becoming a standard sensor for next-generation vehicles. With penetration set to exceed 50% by 2030, 4D radar is poised to play a defining role in the future of automotive safety and autonomy.
Source Link:https://www.businesswire.com/
