In May 2026, Li Xiang, founder of Li Auto, publicly stated that chassis technology "may be the final bottleneck affecting the global dominance of Chinese automakers."
This view quickly attracted industry attention. Given that China already holds world-leading advantages in fields such as intelligent interaction, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), and powertrain systems, is chassis engineering becoming the most difficult technical hurdle for independent brands to truly go global? Behind this question lies the need to examine the realistic gaps while also paying attention to the ongoing transformations in the industry.
Objective Gaps Still Exist
From an industry perspective, Li Xiang's judgment is not an isolated case. Multiple professionals have pointed out that over the past few years, Chinese NEVs (New Energy Vehicles) have steadily advanced to the forefront of the world in fields such as smart cockpits, ADAS, and electric drive systems. However, in the traditional field of chassis, there is still a certain gap compared to top international luxury brands like Porsche and Ferrari.
This gap is first reflected in the evolution of technology routes. Currently, the chassis technology of most domestic independent brands remains focused on semi-active suspension levels such as air suspension and CDC (Continuous Damping Control) shock absorbers. According to industry research data, in 2025, the configuration volume of air suspension systems for domestic passenger cars was approximately 1.272 million sets, corresponding to a penetration rate of 5.4%, primarily concentrated in the 200,000 to 300,000 RMB price range. The large-scale application of fully active suspension is still in its early stages—the configuration volume of fully active suspensions in China is expected to be about 130,000 sets in 2026, and is projected to grow to 590,000 sets by 2030.
Challenges also exist in the field of chassis-by-wire. Chassis-by-wire realizes vehicle control by replacing mechanical and hydraulic connections with electrical signals, serving as a crucial execution foundation for high-level autonomous driving at L3 and above. In terms of technical maturity, brake-by-wire currently still relies mainly on EHB (Electro-Hydraulic Brake) solutions, and the comprehensive switch to EMB (Electro-Mechanical Brake) will take time. Although steer-by-wire has been equipped on flagship models of new forces, its safety redundancy design and mass-production consistency still face tests, especially in long-term reliability verification under complex working conditions.
Furthermore, another dimension of chassis technology competition lies in the construction of software-defined chassis capabilities. Huawei's Turing Longxing platform adopts a full-domain converged architecture, integrating four major features: active perception, central control, intelligent reasoning, and autonomous learning, attempting to evolve decision-making control from post-event to pre-event. BYD Yangwang U7 deeply integrates the DiSus-Z fully active suspension with the e4 four-motor drive technology. The full link from perception to execution takes only 5 milliseconds, achieving fully digital coordinated control of the vehicle's body posture in six degrees of freedom across three axes: longitudinal, lateral, and vertical. These breakthroughs all indicate that Chinese automakers are rapidly catching up in the direction of chassis intelligence.
Domestic Catch-up is Accelerating
Despite the objective gaps, in recent years, China's technological accumulation and industrial synergy in the field of chassis technology have been accelerating. This catch-up can be summarized in two main lines: first, the localization breakthrough of the upstream component supply chain; second, the systematic technological conquest at the OEM level.
In the supply chain dimension, taking air suspension as an example, according to data from Gasgoo Research, from January to March 2026, the total installed volume of air suspensions for domestic passenger cars was 332,800 sets. The top three companies—Konghui Technology, Tuopu Group, and Baolong Technology—are all domestic enterprises, collectively accounting for over 92% of the market share. This forms a sharp contrast with the situation five years ago, when the air suspension market was basically monopolized by foreign oligopolies such as Vibracoustic and Continental. This clearly demonstrates the achievements of domestic substitution in the field of core chassis components in China.
At the OEM level, innovations ranging from system integration to original architectures are also emerging intensively. BYD continues to expand its DiSus product matrix. The Yangwang U7 is equipped with the DiSus-Z fully active suspension, and the Denza concept sports car equipped with DiSus-M features China's first full-stack self-developed steer-by-wire system.
Meanwhile, Huawei's digital chassis ecosystem is also accelerating its implementation. The Zunqi S800 is equipped with the industry's first independent intelligent digital chassis platform—the Turing Longxing platform. It adopts a full-domain converged architecture with a minimum decision-making link latency of less than 1ms, and comes standard with dual-chamber air suspension, continuous variable damping shock absorbers, and multi-wheel steering control. The Stelato S9 is equipped with the Turing Platform 3.0, achieving a moose test speed of 83.3 km/h. The Li Auto L9 is equipped with a "complete" chassis-by-wire system—including steer-by-wire, wire-controlled mechanical brakes, and rear-wheel steering—supporting continuous evolution via OTA.
Conclusion
From market share and technological reserves to supply chain discourse power, China's chassis technology system is undergoing a transformation from "choke points" to "autonomous and controllable". Although there is still a distance to go for chassis engineering, the "last technical hurdle" facing the globalization of Chinese automotive brands, the industry's catch-up pace, investment intensity, and achievements obtained are already clearly visible.
For the Chinese automotive industry, the real test perhaps lies not in whether it can build a single model with top-tier chassis performance, but in whether it can establish a chassis technology system that covers the entire industry chain and supports sustainable iteration.