Leading autonomous driving giant welcomes a new CEO

Author | Zhou Zhiyu

Horizon used an extremely low-profile signing to send a major personnel change to the outside world.

Recently, Horizon signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Times Intelligent, a subsidiary of CATL. In the official photo of the signing ceremony, a familiar face in the industry sat at the center of power.

Zhu Wei made his first public appearance as “Horizon President.” Wall Street Journal learned that this former executive president of CATL’s passenger vehicle business officially joined Horizon earlier this month, succeeding 63-year-old Chen Liming as President. Chen Liming was then appointed Vice Chairman.

Wall Street Journal learned from an informed source that Zhu Wei holds the positions of Horizon President and President of the Smart Vehicle Business Unit. In internal notices, he is described as “his addition will inject strong commercial implementation and ecological resource integration capabilities into the company.”

This significant personnel change is a key decision Horizon made regarding its governance structure at different industry stages.

To understand why Zhu Wei is entering at this time, one must first look at the background left by Chen Liming.

Graduated in 1986 from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, studied abroad in the U.S., and worked at Bosch for 26 years—Chen Liming’s career is a textbook of automotive industrial engineering. When Yu Kai invited him to join Horizon in 2021, the startup was facing the pain of transitioning from laboratory to mass production vehicles. Chen brought strict supply chain discipline and Tier 1 engineering language, acting like a ballast stone, helping Horizon solidify its delivery capabilities from zero to one.

During those years, Horizon not only needed to sell chips but also learn how to become a qualified Tier 1 and how to coordinate complex engineering with automakers (OEMs). Chen successfully infused traditional automotive industry discipline into this AI startup with a strong internet flavor.

But by 2026, the battlefield has changed.

Today’s intelligent driving market is no longer just about whether mass production is possible, but a brutal fight over scale, inclusiveness, cost reduction, and efficiency.

Wall Street Journal learned that Horizon’s founder and CEO, Yu Kai, has set multiple goals for the company’s future development. Quantifiable targets include producing tens of millions of Horizon SuperDrive (HSD) units in the next 3-5 years, and by 2026, increasing Horizon’s urban MPI (average interval of manual takeover) tenfold, while aiming to penetrate the entry-level market priced at 70,000 to 100,000 yuan with the Journey 6M intelligent driving solution.

This commercial expansion demand requires Horizon to evolve from a “car-knowledgeable tech company” into a “dominant supply chain business giant.”

This also demands the kind of grit that CATL has demonstrated through extreme manufacturing and global expansion.

During his eight years at CATL, Zhu Wei was responsible for passenger vehicle and overseas energy storage businesses. He experienced CATL’s full growth from an industry dark horse to a global leader and is well-versed in the art of supply chain competition. If Chen Liming built Horizon’s “from zero to one” engineering standards, Zhu Wei’s task is to lead Horizon to achieve “from ten to one hundred.”

Zhu Wei’s debut was at a cooperation ceremony with a subsidiary of CATL, which is no coincidence.

Horizon and CATL have deep roots. As early as 2021, CATL co-led Horizon’s Series C funding. In summer 2025, CATL teamed up with Hellobike and Ant Group to establish “Zao Fu Intelligence,” with Horizon providing the Journey 6P chips and HSD systems.

The core of this cooperation is the “Panshi Chassis.” The skateboard chassis of Times Intelligent is deeply coupled with Horizon’s full-scenario assisted driving products through software and hardware. This is not just a business cooperation but a reconstruction of the car’s “brain” and “skeleton.”

As intelligent driving enters deep waters, chip companies are no longer just behind-the-scenes solution providers. Through Zhu Wei, a former “CATL Executive President,” the bond between Horizon and CATL has upgraded from capital and business levels to a deep human integration.

CATL represents China’s most advanced supply chain capability in the new energy vehicle industry, while Horizon holds the key to intelligence. This “energy + intelligence” strong alliance is highly attractive to second- and third-tier automakers still struggling with full-stack self-developed or outsourced intelligent driving solutions.

An insider from Times Intelligent also told Wall Street Journal that they are optimistic about intelligent driving, and the Panshi chassis and intelligent driving are directions that can well realize soft-hard integration and collaborative development.

The automotive industry’s competition has never been tender-hearted; only the big waves wash away the sand.

For Horizon, 2026 is a decisive year. With the popularization of urban NOA (Navigation On Autopilot), the industry has entered a “battle of spears.” Huawei’s Qian Kun, Nvidia’s Orin, and various automakers’ self-developed solutions are competing fiercely in a confined space.

Zhu Wei’s entry, to some extent, reflects Horizon’s strategic ambition. With Zhu Wei’s resources in the passenger vehicle market, Horizon needs to further expand its share among core customers and attempt to penetrate more joint venture brands; in overseas markets like Europe and Southeast Asia, Zhu Wei’s international experience at Valeo and CATL will serve as an accelerator; as Horizon’s capital operations advance, a leadership team with strong technical background, strategic vision, and business toughness will be the best reassurance for the capital market.

Currently, a group of people have come together because of a shared mission and vision. But what the industry values more is whether this new CEO can carve a path to “inclusive era” amid fierce price wars and technological iterations.

Spring waters are just beginning to flow, and dark currents are surging. Zhu Wei’s move is just the beginning of his game.

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