BlackBerry’s automotive software business has added another significant program at a moment when vehicle safety systems are becoming more software-dependent. A major German automaker has selected a QNX-powered smart-camera system from neueHCT for a global passenger-vehicle platform that will launch in China before reaching several other Asian-Pacific markets.
The program is scheduled to enter production in 2027, with projected volumes of several million units during its first three years. The automaker has not been publicly identified, but the scale and geographic reach make the deal notable for BlackBerry’s QNX division. It also puts QNX deeper into the technology behind advanced driver-assistance systems, where reliability, real-time processing and safety certification increasingly matter as much as raw computing power.
A German Automaker Is Taking the System Beyond a Single Market
The customer remains unnamed, but QNX and neueHCT have disclosed enough about the program to show that it is considerably broader than a one-country deployment. The German automaker selected neueHCT’s HCT Luna High-Performance Smart Camera Solution for what the companies describe as a global passenger-vehicle platform. China will be the launch market, with vehicles using the system also planned for Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea.
That geographic spread is important because driver-assistance technology cannot simply be dropped into every market unchanged. Vehicles may face different regulatory requirements, road markings, traffic behaviour and validation standards depending on where they are sold. neueHCT says its platform-based architecture is designed to be adapted across vehicle platforms, regional configurations and different driving environments. The companies are therefore presenting the German program as more than a component order: it is intended to demonstrate that the same underlying system can support multiple models and countries without requiring an entirely new technology stack for each deployment.
Production Is Scheduled for 2027 With Several Million Units Projected
The most striking number attached to the announcement is the expected production volume. QNX and neueHCT say manufacturing is scheduled to begin in 2027 and that volumes are projected to reach several million units within the first three years. Neither company has provided a more precise forecast, production schedule or breakdown by vehicle model, so the figure should be treated as a projection rather than a guaranteed shipment total.
Even with that qualification, the expected scale changes the significance of the program. neueHCT describes it as the first major global program for the HCT Luna solution powered by QNX and says it moves the system from individual vehicle applications toward large-scale deployment across multiple platforms and models. Automotive software programs can remain in development for years before meaningful production volumes arrive, which makes the 2027 start date especially relevant. For QNX, the commercial impact is likely to build as vehicles actually enter production rather than appearing all at once when a design win is announced.
HCT Luna Puts QNX Behind Everyday Driver-Assistance Features
The technology involved is not an experimental autonomous-driving system intended for a handful of prototype vehicles. HCT Luna is designed around active-safety and assisted-driving functions that are increasingly common in mainstream passenger vehicles. The system supports features including automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning and traffic-light recognition, along with assistance in situations involving vehicle cut-ins, sharp curves and construction areas.
neueHCT also says the system can help with vehicle centering when conventional lane markings are limited or unavailable. Its broader Luna product family includes functions such as forward-collision warning, lane-keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control and construction-zone avoidance. That helps explain why scalability matters. Automakers increasingly want common electronic foundations that can be used on different trims and models while changing the software or sensor configuration around them. Instead of developing a separate driver-assistance architecture for every vehicle, a flexible platform can provide a common foundation and then be adapted according to price, market and regulatory requirements.
QNX OS for Safety 8.0 Sits at the Foundation
Underneath the HCT Luna application is QNX OS for Safety 8.0, the safety-focused operating system that BlackBerry has been positioning for newer high-performance vehicle computers. QNX describes the platform as providing deterministic performance, real-time responsiveness and fault isolation — characteristics that are particularly important when software is involved in functions capable of braking or influencing a vehicle’s path.
The certification work behind the operating system is equally significant. QNX OS for Safety 8.0 has been assessed for compliance with ISO 26262 ASIL D, the highest automotive safety-integrity level within the ISO 26262 framework, as well as the ISO/SAE 21434 automotive cybersecurity standard. QNX also lists compliance with IEC 61508 SIL 3 and IEC 62304 Class C for applications outside conventional passenger vehicles. For an automaker, using an operating system that has already gone through this type of assessment can reduce some of the engineering burden associated with building and validating safety-critical systems from the ground up.
Horizon Robotics Supplies the Computing Platform
QNX is only one part of the technology stack. HCT Luna is built around Horizon Robotics’ Journey 6B automotive computing platform, pairing the processor with neueHCT’s software and QNX’s safety operating system. neueHCT lists configurations using a 2-megapixel or 8-megapixel forward camera with a 120-degree field of view, while additional radar sensors can be added depending on the vehicle program and feature set.
Journey 6B was developed specifically around next-generation driver-assistance and active-safety workloads. Horizon Robotics has also secured other automotive camera programs using the chip, including projects developed with Bosch for global and Chinese automakers. That broader adoption matters because automotive suppliers generally seek processors that can be supported across long development and production cycles. For the German automaker program, the combination gives each company a distinct role: Horizon supplies the compute hardware, neueHCT provides the intelligent-driving solution and algorithms, while QNX supplies the real-time software foundation on which safety-critical functions can operate.
Safety Regulations Are Making These Systems Harder to Treat as Optional
The timing also reflects a wider change in vehicle regulation. Advanced emergency braking, lane-support systems and other electronic driver aids have moved from premium-car extras toward required or near-standard equipment in major markets. In the European Union, updated General Safety Regulation requirements have applied to all newly sold vehicles since July 2024, with cars and vans required to include technologies such as automated braking and lane-keeping assistance.
International vehicle rules are evolving as well. UNECE maintains regulations covering advanced emergency braking and lane-departure warning systems, while newer provisions continue to address emergency lane keeping and more sophisticated automated-driving functions. That environment rewards technologies that can be adapted to different national and regional requirements without completely rebuilding the vehicle electronics. neueHCT specifically markets the current Luna generation as supporting EU General Safety Regulation requirements and modern Euro NCAP expectations. Even though Europe was not listed among the initial markets for this German automaker program, regulatory portability is increasingly important for any platform intended to operate globally.
neueHCT Combines Chinese ADAS Development With a German Supplier Heritage
The company delivering HCT Luna is itself a cross-border automotive venture. neueHCT was established in 2022 as a joint venture between Chinese automotive-computing specialist Horizon Robotics and what is now AUMOVIO. The latter business was previously Continental’s Automotive division before being spun off as an independent company in September 2025, bringing with it experience in sensors, electronics, braking systems, software and automated-driving technology.
That background makes the new German OEM contract particularly interesting. neueHCT is developing intelligent-driving technology in China but using partnerships and international automotive-supplier experience to sell those systems into global vehicle programs. The company said in early 2026 that its product portfolio had already secured designated partnerships covering more than 10 vehicle models, and it raised roughly US$200 million to support international expansion. The HCT Luna win is therefore part of a larger push to take China-developed assisted-driving technology beyond the domestic market rather than keeping it limited to Chinese-brand vehicles.
QNX Enters the Deal With a Much Larger Automotive Footprint
For BlackBerry, this is not an attempt to break into automotive software from scratch. The company says QNX technology is already present in more than 275 million vehicles worldwide, up by 20 million from the previous year and roughly 100 million since 2020. Its fiscal 2026 filing said QNX was working with more than 45 automakers, including the world’s 10 largest OEMs and 24 of the 25 largest EV manufacturers.
That installed base helps explain why QNX can appear in very different parts of a vehicle. Its software has been used for digital cockpits and infotainment systems, but BlackBerry has increasingly emphasized advanced driver assistance, centralized computing, domain controllers and other safety-critical applications. The German automaker program places QNX directly beneath a front-camera system responsible for interpreting the road and supporting intervention functions. As vehicles consolidate electronic functions onto more powerful computers, BlackBerry believes there is an opportunity not only to be installed in more vehicles but also to supply more QNX software instances and greater software content inside each individual vehicle.
The Win Arrives During a Record Period for QNX
The timing is particularly favourable for BlackBerry because QNX has just reported its strongest quarterly revenue on record. In BlackBerry’s fiscal second quarter ended August 31, 2026, QNX revenue reached US$80.3 million, a 27% increase from the same period a year earlier. QNX segment adjusted EBITDA rose 41% to US$29 million, while its adjusted gross margin increased to 87%.
BlackBerry subsequently raised its fiscal 2027 QNX revenue outlook to between US$315 million and US$325 million. Management has attributed much of the momentum to automotive programs, growing development-license activity and the transition toward software-defined vehicles with more centralized computing architectures. The new German automaker announcement follows another major QNX win only days earlier: Coretura, the commercial-vehicle software venture created by Daimler Truck and Volvo Group, selected the QNX-and-Vector Alloy Kore platform. BlackBerry said that separate program added more than US$100 million to QNX’s estimated royalty backlog and represented its largest design win to date.
The Financial Payoff Will Depend on Cars Actually Reaching Production
Large projected vehicle volumes should not be confused with immediate revenue. QNX’s automotive business generally makes money at different points during a vehicle program. Development licences and engineering services can generate revenue before production begins, while a major portion of a program’s lifetime economics can come later through royalties tied to the number of vehicles or systems actually shipped.
BlackBerry reported a QNX royalty backlog of approximately US$950 million at the end of fiscal 2026, but the company explicitly cautions that backlog represents estimated future revenue rather than guaranteed sales. Actual royalties can change if production volumes rise or fall, programs are modified or contracts are terminated. The same caution applies to the neueHCT project. Several million units over three years would create a meaningful installed base if the forecast is realized, but neither QNX nor neueHCT has disclosed the contract’s dollar value or expected royalty contribution. For now, the program is best viewed as another large-scale validation of QNX’s automotive strategy ahead of a planned 2027 production launch.
