Li L9 vs. NIO ES9 Suspension Test Sparks Debate; 48V vs. 800V Architecture Performance Takes Center Stage

On June 5, Tang Jing, a senior executive at Li Auto, responded to the controversy surrounding suspension comparison tests between the Li Auto L9 and NIO ES9. Tang stated that Li Auto internally produced a comparison video to address claims made by NIO CEO William Li during the ES9 launch event—specifically, that NIO’s 48V integrated active suspension technology is a full generation ahead of 400V/800V split-system solutions. Currently, the main new energy SUVs on the market equipped with active suspension systems include the Li Auto L9 Livis, Aito M9 Shengshi Extended Range, and NIO ES9. Among them, the Li Auto L9 Livis and Aito M9 use an 800V electrical architecture, while the NIO ES9 employs a 48V architecture. The comparison video released by Li Auto showed that during a washboard road test, the NIO ES9 performed noticeably worse than the Li Auto L9 Livis across different driving modes. Although the video was deleted shortly after its release, it had already spread widely online. In response, Ma Lin, Vice President of NIO, raised doubts, pointing out that the ES9’s suspension performance in Standard mode should not be equivalent to—or worse than—that in Ultra-Soft mode, where the fully active suspension operates at extremely low intensity. He argued this contradicts the vehicle’s intended design. Ma Lin called on Li Auto to verify the authenticity of the video and disclose specific details regarding the testing conditions, suspension settings, and video source.