Zoza Auto Research released the "2026 Passenger Car Chassis Domain Control and Chassis Cross-Domain Integration Research Report".
1. Full Drive-by-Wire Chassis Make a Clustered Debut, EMB Enters Mass Production for the First Time
At the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, multiple OEMs launched full drive-by-wire chassis solutions. Flagship SUVs such as the Li Auto L9 （Livis version）, NIO ES9, XPeng GX (concept), IM Motors LS9, and the all-new AITO M9 made a collective debut. The industry regards the 2026 Beijing Auto Show as the inaugural year of the "fully active intelligent chassis".
Summary of Some Full Drive-by-Wire Chassis Solutions
Source: Zoza Auto Research "2026 Passenger Car Chassis Domain Control and Chassis Cross-Domain Integration Research Report"
Vehicle Case (1):Li Auto L9 （Livis version）
Released in April 2026, the Li Auto L9 （Livis version） features a comprehensive refresh in both exterior and interior design, and is equipped for the first time with an 800V fully active suspension, EMB (Electro-Mechanical Brake), and front-wheel drive-by-wire steering. The main configuration features of the Li Auto L9 （Livis version） full-spec drive-by-wire chassis are as follows:
① 800V Fully Active Suspension
Main components: Air spring + dual-valve CDC (Continuous Damping Control) shock absorber + 800V hydraulic pump. It also includes auxiliary high-pressure oil pipes and fully self-developed tuning and control software.
Working principle:
Stage 1: Filtering minor vibrations — primarily relying on traditional air springs and dual-valve CDC. The solenoid valve of the CDC is adjusted with a current control precision of 1ms, and the fastest response of the solenoid valve can reach 5ms.
Stage 2: Controlling vehicle body posture — primarily relying on the 800V hydraulic pump. When body roll or pitch is detected, the hydraulic pump applies additional hydraulic pressure to that side for support. The role of the hydraulic pump is to support the "displacement" of the vehicle body, with a response speed of tens of milliseconds.
② EMB Electro-Mechanical Brake
Co-developed with Bethel.
Main features:
Fully dry — completely eliminates hydraulic brake pipelines and brake fluid.
Independent brake motor at each wheel clamps the caliper.
Braking response is about 100ms faster than traditional hydraulic systems, reducing the braking distance from 120km/h by approximately 3m.
③ Drive-by-Wire Steering
Front-wheel drive-by-wire steering (Nexteer).
Main features:
Eliminates the physical hard connection of the mechanical steering column.
Continuously variable steering ratio based on vehicle speed.
Triple safety redundancy (Main ECU + backup channel + mechanical failure protection strategy).
Based on the 800V fully active suspension, Li Auto has also launched new functional scenarios such as convenient tire changing, "one-handed push-up", and off-road recovery.
"One-handed push-up": Rapid downward press and lift on one side of the front of the vehicle.
Off-road recovery: When slightly stuck in sand, the 800V active suspension begins to "bounce" up and down. Each downward press is like an invisible hand patting the ground, changing the contact pressure and friction between the tires and the sand. After several consecutive applications of force, the vehicle can recover on its own without the need for external rescue; in cases of severe entrapment, the lifting force of over 10,000N per single wheel begins to play a key role. The suspension can actively lift the trapped wheel to create ground clearance, and by simply inserting a sand board, the vehicle can easily recover.
Convenient tire changing: The suspension can actively lift the corresponding wheel, completely lifting the tire off the ground. This provides ample operating space, eliminating the need for a jack and allowing for easy tire replacement.
In terms of chassis control, the Li Auto L9 （Livis version） is equipped with two fully self-developed 5nm automotive-grade "Mach M100" chips, with a total computing power of up to 2560 TOPS. A dedicated area for whole-vehicle control is designed within the Mach M100 chip, and 100 to 200 TOPS of computing power is reserved for chassis control. Moreover, the software for the steering, braking, and suspension systems is all self-developed by Li Auto. The code is within the same architectural system, allowing data to be naturally interconnected.
Vehicle Case (2): NIO ES9
The NIO ES9, launched in May 2026, is equipped with the NIO SkyRide intelligent chassis. Its drive-by-wire actuators include the SkyRide fully active suspension, SkyRide four-wheel drive-by-wire steering, and hydraulic drive-by-wire braking. Additionally, the chassis control also adopts VMC (Vehicle Motion Control).
With the central intelligent computing platform as the hub, NIO VMC weaves execution units such as the fully active suspension, drive-by-wire steering, rear-wheel steering, electric drive, and braking into a millisecond-response collaborative network. Furthermore, VMC also "shakes hands" with the cockpit domain and body domain, enabling components such as intelligent HD projection headlights, interior ambient lights, electric doors, and electric rear spoilers to interact with the chassis (Functional case: NIO ET9 "SkyRide Dance").
VMC operates between the front and rear zone controllers and the central computing cluster, and combined with cloud data processing capabilities, manages over 2,100 vehicle dynamics parameters with a task processing delay of <10ms.
Based on the hardware and software conditions of NIO ES9's central computing + cross-domain integration + VMC control, the vehicle can realize a series of chassis control functions such as high-speed tire blowout safety control, seamless speed bump passing, champagne tower challenge on ice and snow roads, and intelligent height limit assistance.
NIO SkyRide Intelligent Chassis
Image source: NIO
2. VMC Chassis Control Software Links Intelligent Driving and Chassis Actuators
As intelligent driving evolves towards L3 and above levels, the traditional decentralized control architecture struggles to meet the stringent requirements of advanced intelligent driving for response speed and coordination accuracy, giving rise to the demand for "chassis coordinated control" functions. VMC (Vehicle Motion Control) has become a popular solution favored by multiple OEMs. As a NIO engineer stated, "If the intelligent driving assistance system has to separately call five or six controller interfaces such as steering, braking, and suspension, it would be a disaster without VMC. VMC must become that unified interface, connecting upwards to the perception of intelligent driving assistance and downwards to the execution of the chassis."
Summary of Chassis VMC Solutions from Some OEMs
Source: Zoza Auto Research "2026 Passenger Car Chassis Domain Control and Chassis Cross-Domain Integration Research Report"
SAIC IM Motors is among the first batch of domestic OEMs to adopt the VMC solution. Its VMC control solution has now been iterated to version 3.0 and is equipped across its entire vehicle lineup.
Version 1.0 was released in May 2024, realizing the coordinated control of vehicle body posture in six degrees of freedom across the X, Y, and Z axes at the software level, and uniformly adjusting and controlling functions such as air spring height, shock absorber damping, and electronic parking.
Version 2.0 was released in September 2024, supporting OTA. The chassis and intelligent driving domains are integrated, and a new tire blowout stability control system is added. Through data fusion of LiDAR and wheel speed sensors, it can identify a tire blowout within 200ms and initiate an emergency plan. In the 220km/h high-speed tire blowout test, the system controls the vehicle deviation within 0.5 meters through the coordinated control of rear-wheel counter-deflection and single-side braking.
Version 3.0 was released in November 2025 and equipped on the IM Motors LS9. The number of cross-domain control items for the chassis has increased to 14, adjusting vehicle dynamics in real-time to suppress motion sickness by reducing the amplitude of swaying; the active anti-roll system has been upgraded to version 3.0. During emergency evasion, the ultra-fast control of the intelligent four-wheel steering can reduce the rollover risk by up to 54%.
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