NIO's Decade of In-House R&D: From Chassis Integration to Full-Stack Smart Chassis

NIO recently reviewed its decade-long journey in chassis technology development—from its first model, the ES8, which relied on international suppliers and faced the "black box" dilemma of control logic, to the 2021 mass-produced ET7 equipped with NIO’s fully in-house developed Intelligent Chassis Controller (ICC), enabling OTA updates and autonomous optimization of driving experience. Confronted with restrictions imposed by bundled sales of core components, NIO actively supported domestic supply chains and deeply engaged in co-developing key technologies. On its flagship ET9, NIO has integrated cutting-edge features such as a fully active hydraulic suspension, steer-by-wire, and rear-wheel steering, and pioneered a triple-redundant safety architecture without mechanical backup. To facilitate real-world implementation, NIO led the completion of 41 rigorous tests, helping steer-by-wire pass China’s national review for new technologies. Today, NIO has transformed its chassis into an intelligent platform that seamlessly integrates perception, decision-making, and execution—ushering the industry from hardware-centric competition toward system-level control capability rivalry.