SAIC Motor's Shangjie brand brought together 19 component suppliers and industry experts on September 21 for a smart chassis technology expo, part of an effort to accelerate the development and mass production of intelligent chassis systems for its electric vehicles. The event, organized by Chinese auto industry research firm Gasgoo, focused on suspension systems, axles and e-drive units, smart chassis technology, and chassis testing.
Smart chassis as the next battleground
Executives at the event framed intelligent chassis as a key differentiator in the next phase of China's EV market. Li Jiangang, deputy general manager of SAIC's quality and technology department, said the industry has moved beyond traditional vehicle development models into an era of full supply chain collaboration. He described the smart chassis - which integrates suspension, braking, steering, and drive systems - as the core carrier for high-level autonomous driving, and stressed that SAIC is open to partnerships with any company offering strong technology.
Chen Kai, head of R&D at SAIC's Huawei cooperation division, called the intelligent chassis the "second growth curve" of automotive intelligence, describing it as a complex system combining mechanical engineering, electronic control, algorithms, and manufacturing processes. He said Shangjie will rely on SAIC's engineering strength and Huawei's technology advantages to explore software-hardware coordination in chassis domain control, while maintaining reliability and durability standards.
Gu Xiaoying, partner and executive vice president of Gasgoo, noted that new energy vehicles now account for 65.2 percent of passenger car sales in China, and that the industry has entered a phase where profit is scarcer than sales volume. She said wire-controlled chassis technology is entering its first mass production year, driven by both policy support and autonomous driving demand, and that AI large models are reshaping vehicle electronic and electrical architectures.
Supplier showcase and closed-door talks
The expo featured presentations from Shangjie's vehicle motion senior manager Yi Bin on the brand's chassis development practices, Tongji University's Zhou Quan on wire-controlled chassis trends, and other experts covering topics including braking and steer-by-wire standards, domestic magnetorheological fluid materials for suspension systems, and platform-based development tools.
The 19 exhibiting suppliers included both domestic and foreign companies such as Hangzhou Anpulu Thin Film Technology and Wacom China, presenting products across suspension, axle and e-drive, smart chassis, and testing categories. In the afternoon, Shangjie's smart chassis R&D management team held one-on-one closed-door meetings with selected suppliers to discuss technical routes, procurement needs, and supply chain qualification requirements.
According to Gasgoo, the event marked the tenth anniversary of its "Tech Day" series, which aims to connect automakers with component suppliers. The company also announced upcoming supplier recruitment events for SAIC's Huizhong parts subsidiary, IM Motors, and Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center, focusing on lightweight and intelligent chassis components.
