Cepton

Cepton is a lidar sensor company founded in 2016 and headquartered in San Jose, California, that became a wholly owned subsidiary of Japanese automotive lighting maker Koito Manufacturing in January 2025 while continuing to operate under the Cepton brand. The company addresses the need of automakers and infrastructure operators for lidar sensors that can detect and classify objects at long range without relying on cameras or radar alone.

Its Vista lidar family targets long-range automotive and smart-infrastructure sensing while the Nova family covers short-range and near-field detection, supported by the Helius perception software and StudioViz visualization tools. Cepton has secured a lidar production program with a Detroit-based automotive OEM and supplies lidar for highway tolling deployments, continuing joint development with Koito after the acquisition closed.

1. Vista lidar: long-range sensing line for automotive ADAS and smart-infrastructure use.

2. Nova lidar: short-range and near-field detection family.

3. Helius software: perception software processing lidar point-cloud data.

4. Automotive win: series production program secured with a Detroit-based global OEM.

5. Infrastructure use: deployed for highway tolling system monitoring.

6. Ownership: wholly owned subsidiary of Koito Manufacturing since January 2025, keeping its own brand.