Overview
- Volvo confirmed on Wednesday that it has discontinued planned LiDAR functionality for the EX90 and ES90 and will compensate buyers in affected markets rather than retrofit or activate the rooftop sensors.
- The move follows Luminar’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy and Volvo’s termination of the supplier partnership, which Volvo says makes the promised LiDAR features impossible to deliver.
- Compensation amounts vary by market, with Norway receiving about €1,800 (NOK 18,000) while other regions are offered different cash or package options tied to the missing features.
- Elon Musk posted on X responding to Volvo’s decision by reaffirming his long-held view that camera-based neural networks are the right path for car autonomy and that LiDAR can create conflicting sensor data.
- The decision underscores a broader industry split that will shape product choices for buyers, with some automakers doubling down on LiDAR options and others pursuing camera-only or mixed sensor strategies that create non‑retrofit hardware splits within model lines.