HUD Research: Installation Rate Exceeds 25% as Entry Price of P-HUD-Equipped Models Falls to RMB130,000
The China Passenger Car HUD Industry Report, 2026 released by ResearchInChina combs through HUD installation, and dynamics of upstream, midstream and downstream players in the HUD industry chain, compares and analyzes the HUD products of suppliers, and assesses HUD technology trends and market size.
1. HUD Installation Rate Exceeds 25%, with AR-HUD Contributing to About Two-Thirds of Installation Growth
In full-year 2025, HUD was installed in 4.321 million vehicles, up 21.9% year on year, and the installation rate rose from 15.5% in 2024 to 18.8%. From January to August 2026, HUD installations reached 2.987 million vehicles, up 22.6% on a like-on-like basis, and the installation rate climbed to 25.8%.
W-HUD still remained the mainstream solution, while AR-HUD contributed most of the growth. From January to August 2026, W-HUD was installed in 1.868 million vehicles, up 4.7% year on year, accounting for 62.5% of HUD installations. AR-HUD installations reached 990,000 vehicles, up 58.0% year on year, with its share rising from 25.7% to 33.2%. It contributed 65.9% of the net increase in HUD installations. AR-HUD installations have grown year on year for eight consecutive months.
By brand, from January to August 2026, Zeekr, NIO and Deepal ranked in the top three with AR-HUD installed in 137,000, 129,000 and 128,000 vehicles, respectively; together the top three brands accounted for 39.7% of AR-HUD installations, down from 58.0% in the same period a year earlier.
In terms of price structure, AR-HUD growth this year is being driven from both ends of the market, though the underlying mechanisms differ. The RMB150,000-200,000 range still recorded the highest installations, accounting for 17.7% of total AR-HUD installations. The RMB100,000-150,000 range had 160,000 vehicles installed, up 60.7% year on year; although its installation rate is only about 5.1%, its huge sales base means that even a relatively low penetration rate can translate into considerable absolute volume. By contrast, the RMB400,000-500,000 range had 171,000 vehicles installed, a net increase of 106,000 units over the same period last year, and contributed 29.0% of AR-HUD's full-year net increase, with an installation rate of 33.2%. The RMB400,000-500,000 range was a "double-high" band in which both installation rate and installations rose in tandem, making it the price range with the largest increase this year.
2. Multiple Optical Solutions Enable Dual-Focal-Plane AR-HUD Display
AITO M9 Uses a Single LCoS Optical Engine to Achieve Near and Far Dual Focal Planes
On May 27, 2026, the all-new AITO M9 was launched, equipped with the HUAWEI XHUD dual-focal-plane AR-HUD. Based on a single LCoS optical engine and paired with Huawei's self-developed AR composition engine, the system enables the following:
Near focal plane: a virtual image distance of 4.5 meters, used for information such as vehicle speed and safety alerts
Far focal plane: a tilted focal plane design with a virtual image distance of about 7-15 meters, an equivalent image size of 130 inches, and the ability to display AR information across three lanes
Field of view (FOV): 12°×4°
Resolution of 1920×1080, Full HD, brightness of 15,000 nit, contrast ratio of 2,500:1 and color gamut of 85% NTSC
Deeply integrated with Huawei Qiankun Intelligent Driving (ADS), this HUD can, in addition to projecting navigation, dynamically annotate pedestrians, vehicles, driving intentions and other real-time elements of the surrounding environment.
Cadillac LYRIQ-V / VISTIQ Uses Computer-Generated Holography (CGH) Technology to Deliver Dual-Focal-Plane AR-HUD Display
Unlike the dual-focal-plane solution of the all-new AITO M9, which is based on free-form reflective optics, the Cadillac LYRIQ-V / VISTIQ uses Envisics' computer-generated holography (CGH) technology to achieve dual-focal-plane AR-HUD display, forming images with a hybrid architecture of " CGH imaging + free-form reflective optics".
On the Cadillac LYRIQ-V / VISTIQ, the near focal plane has a virtual image distance of about 2.5 m and mainly displays vehicle speed, speed limits, incoming calls, warnings and some indicator information. The far focal plane has a virtual image distance of about 10 m, and its content varies with the selected view. The standard view mainly shows navigation guidance, while the augmented-reality view and the assist view can also present collision warnings, lane change and driver assistance information. Of the two, only the near focal plane allows adjustment of height and rotation angle, while the far focal plane is fixed.
3. Entry Price of P-HUD-Equipped Models Drops to RMB130,000
In 2025, the Xiaomi YU7 used three Mini LED backlit screens to create a 1.1-meter-wide panoramic display, reflecting information onto the black area along the lower edge of the windshield. In 2026, the BMW iX3 incorporated a similar wide-format display into its Panoramic iDrive, while the ARCFOX αT7, the GAC Trumpchi Yue 7 and the all-new DENZA N8 successively launched their own vehicle solutions.
The BMW iX3's panoramic display spans the lower edge of the windshield from one A-pillar to the other. The driver's side carries always-on driving information, while the center and front passenger sides can display custom content. The European version offers an optional standalone 3D HUD, which handles navigation and driver assistance prompts in front of the driver.
Launched in September 2026, the ARCFOX αT7 adopts a 1.1-meter panoramic HUD (P-HUD), with Mini-LED backlight modules supplied by Longli Technology.
The DENZA N8 is equipped with a 1.1-meter P-HUD that supports independent display across three zones. It was fully self-developed by FinDreams Precision under BYD. BYD's third-generation Tang has also announced the same "large integrated display + P-HUD" combination.
The GAC Trumpchi Yue 7 was launched in September 2026, at a price of RMB161,800 to RMB207,800. It features a 1.1-meter full-width panoramic "Interstellar Screen" that supports five theme presets and the free combination of more than 35 functional widgets.
As P-HUD finds wide adoption in vehicles, the price ranges of the vehicles equipped with it are also moving rapidly downward. The ARCFOX αT7 has pushed the entry price for P-HUD down to RMB130,000, while the GAC Trumpchi Yue 7 starts at RMB161,800. In 2026, P-HUD has moved from the premium market above RMB250,000 into the mainstream family SUV range of RMB130,000-170,000.
At present, P-HUD light source technology mainly follows two display technology routes.
The first is the backlit liquid-crystal display solution, namely TFT-LCD with conventional LED or Mini LED backlighting. It reflects the displayed image via the specially treated black area along the lower edge of the windshield. The Xiaomi YU7, DENZA N8, ARCFOX αT7 and GAC Trumpchi Yue 7 all adopt this type of solution.
The second is the Micro LED self-luminous solution, and the main players are panel makers such as BOE, Tianma and Innolux.
At SID 2026, TCL CSOT showcased a 14.3-inch Micro LED P-HUD solution, with panel brightness of 100,000 nit and in-eye brightness of 20,000 nit;
At CES 2026, BOE unveiled for the first time the Micro LED P-HUD integrated into its HERO 2.0 intelligent cockpit, with a peak brightness of 50,000 nit;
At SID 2026, Tianma showcased a 12-inch Micro LED IRIS HUD with a peak brightness above 120,000 nit and an optical engine thickness of about 2 mm. It supports a design that eliminates the black masking area on the windshield;
In 2026, Innolux released an ultra-high-brightness Micro LED HUD, with direct display brightness of 50,000 nit and reflected virtual image brightness of 10,000 nit.
Micro LED P-HUD is still in the run-up to mass production. The core advantages of this technology route lie in raising the brightness and layout flexibility of P-HUD and in advancing the exploration of imaging in transparent areas.
China Passenger Car HUD Industry Report, 2026
HUD Research: Installation Rate Exceeds 25% as Entry Price of P-HUD-Equipped Models Falls to RMB130,000
The China Passenger Car HUD Industry Report, 2026 released by ResearchInChina combs through HUD...
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