Malaysia-bound Changan launches SDA Pilot intelligent driving system – 560 TOPS, 256-line LiDAR, 400+ parking scenarios, investments over RM 35 billion!

Malaysia-bound Chinese carmaker Changan has officially launched its latest advanced driver assistance system, called SDA Pilot, as the automotive group continues to ramp up its intelligent driving capabilities ahead of its planned arrival in Malaysia.

The new system has been developed in-house by Changan, with the company positioning safety, smoother vehicle control and reduced driver workload as its three main priorities. Changan says its intelligent driving operation has grown from only a handful of engineers into a team of more than 7,500 people, backed by cumulative research and development investment exceeding EUR7.7 billion (around RM35.8 billion).

There are currently three versions of SDA Pilot – Pro, Max and Ultra – with an even more advanced tier set to be introduced later.

It is the range-topping SDA Pilot Ultra that gives us the clearest indication of what Changan is capable of. The system combines Highway NCA and Urban NCA, intelligent parking assistance covering more than 400 scenarios, and 31 active safety functions.

Underpinning all of this is some serious hardware. SDA Pilot Ultra uses a computing chip capable of 560 TOPS, together with a 256-line LiDAR sensor, which Changan says enables millisecond-level responses.

Changan has been developing this technology for years

While Changan may still be an unfamiliar badge to many Malaysian buyers, the company says its work on intelligent driving stretches back to 2009.

By 2011, it had developed prototypes incorporating forward collision warning and lane departure warning. Its Level 2 Integrated Adaptive Cruise Control, or IACC, then entered mass production in 2018. More recently, Changan received what it describes as China's first official licence plate for Level 3 conditional autonomous driving on December 20, 2025.

SDA Pilot is effectively the culmination of that development work.

Beyond simply reacting to obstacles, Changan says the system's active LiDAR detection works together with 10 Hz high-frequency reasoning to identify potential hazards, including in more challenging conditions such as low light, glare, rain and fog.

The company is also leaning heavily into AI-based driving behaviour. Its end-to-end large model has been trained using more than 20 million segments of real-world driving data, with the aim of making acceleration, braking and other responses feel more natural and human-like.

There is also a vision-and-voice multimodal model underpinning the system's interactive navigation. Natural-language voice commands are supported, while the system can remember driving behaviour to provide a more personalised interaction between the driver and vehicle.

Extensive simulation before hitting public roads

Changan has also established its own SDA Lab to support further development and testing.

According to the company, testing operates around the clock and encompasses more than 400,000 virtual simulation scenarios. Changan also claims its simulation programme covers the equivalent of 3.3 million km of driving per day, taking into account different climatic conditions across 224 regions worldwide.

The first production vehicle to receive SDA Pilot Ultra is the Changan Nevo Q06, which opened for pre-orders in China alongside the system's launch.

That model is particularly noteworthy given Changan's wider expansion plans. Earlier reports indicated that Changan intends to enter Malaysia in the second half of 2026 with a multi-brand strategy potentially encompassing its core Changan marque as well as Nevo, Deepal and premium brand Avatr.

The exact models, specifications and driver-assistance technologies destined for Malaysia remain to be confirmed, so it would be premature to assume the full SDA Pilot Ultra package will be offered locally from day one.

Nevertheless, SDA Pilot provides a useful preview of the technology Changan now has at its disposal as it expands beyond China. And with Changan preparing to make its Malaysian debut, it may not be too long before Malaysian buyers get their first taste of the group's latest intelligent driving technology.