Haomo.ai, a prominent autonomous driving solutions provider, recently issued a company-wide suspension notice to employees, halting all operations starting November 24, 2025. This follows a similar partial suspension earlier this year, which prompted some staff to resign voluntarily. The workforce has now shrunk to fewer than 300 employees—down from nearly 800 in September 2024, when 700 were dedicated to passenger vehicle autonomous driving R&D.

Backed by Great Wall Motor (GWM) since its 2019 spin-off, Haomo.ai initially flourished as GWM’s exclusive autonomous driving partner, supplying systems for nearly 20 models across brands like WEY, Tank, and Haval. However, its fortunes shifted in late 2023 when WEY’s Blue Mountain model replaced Haomo’s delayed urban NOA (Navigate on Autopilot) system with a solution from rival DeepRoute.ai. Despite this, GWM continued using Haomo for mid- and low-tier models in 2024, alongside orders from Beijing Hyundai, Toyota, and BMW—though Haomo was never these automakers’ sole supplier.

In September 2024, Haomo executives confidently stated the company was “financially secure for two years,” citing pending RMB 200 million in funding. Yet, by 2025, Haomo’s valuation stagnated at RMB 9 billion, far below early expectations. GWM’s decision to halt Haomo’s planned Hong Kong IPO in late 2024 and instead invest $100 million in DeepRoute.ai’s Series C round marked a decisive break.

**Technical Missteps and Market Pressures** Haomo’s struggles stemmed partly from its reliance on Qualcomm’s chips (SA8540P+SA9000P), which offered limited AI compute (50–100 TOPS) for urban autonomous driving—falling short of the 200+ TOPS required. Competitors like DeepRoute.ai and Momenta leveraged Nvidia’s Orin-X platform for higher performance.

Moreover, Haomo lagged in adopting end-to-end AI architectures, clinging to modular, rule-based systems while rivals pivoted to data-driven models. By 2024, its urban NOA rollout remained incomplete despite plans for 100 cities and 1 million installations by 2025.

**A Cautionary Tale of Dependency** Haomo’s rise and fall underscore the risks of overreliance on a single automaker. While GWM’s early support provided stability, it limited Haomo’s ability to diversify partnerships or innovate independently. As automakers increasingly prioritize in-house development or multi-supplier strategies, Haomo’s “GWM-first” identity alienated potential clients and stifled growth.

In the end, Haomo’s inability to deliver competitive technology, secure diverse revenue streams, or achieve a timely exit sealed its fate—a stark reminder of the volatility in the autonomous driving sector.