Launch of Autonomous Driving Remains to Use Mature Chassis-by-wire Technology
Chassis-by-wire makes it feasible to remove accelerator pedal, brake pedal and steering wheel, whose maturity has a bearing on autonomous driving implementations.
Critical elements of chassis by wire include: throttle by wire, gear shift by wire, suspension by wire, steering by wire and brake by wire. Wherein, drive, brake and steering are deemed as the crucial factors to vehicle travel.

Throttle by wire has been the first option for passenger cars, especially ACC/TCS-enabled vehicles for which such throttle has been a standard configuration. Promotion of drive by wire and steering by wire has suffered a setback due to a combination of factors such as poor user experience than conventional mechanical system for early immature technology, and difficulty in sorting out who is responsible, a result that drive by wire technology refers to regulation and control on the actuator by ECU. In recent years, boom of intelligent connected vehicles has invigorated drive-by-wire technology.
Brake by wire: Bosch, Continental and ZF leads the pack, while Chinese companies like Bethel Automotive Safety Systems Co., Ltd., Shanghai NASN Automotive Electronics Co., Ltd. and Ningbo Tuopu Group are chasing hard.
Over a century, automotive brake system has evolved from the mechanical to the hydraulic and then to the electronic (ABS/ESC). For L3 autonomy and above, responsive time of brake system is of paramount importance. Faster response of brake by wire ensures safe autonomous driving.

Brake-by-wire system is bifurcated into two types: Electro Hydraulic Brake (EHB) and Electro Mechanical Brake (EMB). EHB is split into One-Box and Two-Box solutions based on whether it is integrated with ABS/ESP or not.

One-box solution already prevails:
- One-box solution with fusion of ESP into EHB is based on mass production of mature ESP. Considering performance and cost, Bosch, Continental and ZF are doubling down on One-box products.
- Chinese suppliers with first-mover advantage are expected to replace foreign brands. Bethel Automotive Safety Systems Co., Ltd., the first to have developed One-box products in China, plans to spawn WCBS products in 2020, close to the SOP time of its foreign peers like Bosch. Its WCBS integrated with dual control EPB is more cost-effective.

Steering by wire: intelligence spurs the industry but commercialization is hindered
So far only Infiniti has had steering-by-wire solution for mass production since its advent. In 2014, Infiniti Q50 packing steering-by-wire solution offered by KYB made a debut. Yet, in July 2016, Dongfeng Motor and Nissan recalled 6,840 units of Infiniti Q50 and China-made Infiniti Q50L in all because of potential safety risks posed by steering by wire. In current stage, Infiniti has four models carrying Direct Adaptive Steering? (DAS) solutions all from KYB.

On a global view, international tycoons like Bosch, ZF, JTEKT, NSK and Nexteer boast mature steering by wire technologies and products but they still hit a bottleneck in commercialization.

In 2020, the mass production of L3 autonomous vehicles is to quicken commercial use of drive-by-wire systems. Foreign companies with an early layout in China will have first-mover advantage. Throughout the Chinese market, very few local players have made a difference in drive by wire technology, with small business scale, but the importance of drive-by-wire chassis makes them an enticement to capital and giants. In 2019, Shanghai NASN Automotive Electronics Co., Ltd. raised funds of RMB400 million. It is alleged that Huawei will set foot in drive by wire field.
Automotive Digital Key Industry Trend Report, 2026
Digital Key Research: Automotive BLE, UWB and SLE Hardware Layout
The Automotive Digital Key Industry Trend Report, 2026, released by ResearchInChina, analyzes and predicts the digital key market, co...
Monthly Report on Automotive New Technology (May 2026)
UHD gaze technology, full-color LiDAR, UWB, etc. promote the upgrade of intelligent driving perception capabilities
This report is published once a month and is available for annual subscription.The...
In-Cabin Monitoring Systems (DMS, OMS, etc.) Research Report, 2026
In-Cabin Monitoring System Research: DMS to Become Mandatory in 2027, Expected to be Installed in Over 14 Million Vehicles
ResearchInChina released the In-Cabin Monitoring Systems (DMS, OMS, etc.) Re...
Automotive Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) and Cross-Domain Middleware Industry Report, 2026
Research on automotive SOA and cross-domain middleware: The era of AI atomic services and AI cross-domain fusion agents is coming.
Automotive SOA evolves towards AI + full SOA servitization Driv...
Automotive Display, Center Console and Cluster Industry Report, 2026
Automotive Display Research: Multi-Screen Application Slows Down, While OLED and MiniLED Are Introduced in Vehicles Quickly
In 2026, automotive displays will no longer excessively pursue the number a...
Global and China Intelligent Vehicle Standard System Construction and Certification Research Report, 2026
Intelligent Driving Standards and Certification: With the Maturing Standardization System, China Will Participate in Formulation of Global Standards
China's automotive industry is transforming from ...
Automotive Intelligent Diagnosis Industry Report, 2026
Automotive Intelligent Diagnosis Research: Powered by AI, Remote Diagnosis Is Being Upgraded towards Intelligence.
ResearchInChina released the Automotive Intelligent Diagnosis Industry Report, 2026....
Automotive Cloud Service Platform Research Report, 2026
Research on automotive cloud service platform: with architecture upgrade and computing power improvement, cloud services enter a new stage
In 2026, the Internet of Vehicles industry generates petaby...
Integrated Battery and Innovative Battery Technology Research Report, 2026
Power Battery Research: Sales of High-Capacity Vehicles Keep Rising, and Solid-State Batteries Begin to Be Installed in Vehicles
I. Sales of High-Capacity Vehicles Sustain Growth, and Those with A C...
Chinese Independent OEMs’ ADAS and Autonomous Driving Report, 2026
Research on OEMs' Intelligent Driving: Era of Physical AI, Standard Configuration of D2D, and Initial Exploration of L3 Commercial Pilot Projects
From 2023 to 2025, the intelligent driving installati...
Intelligent Vehicle New Technology Application Analysis Report, 2025-2026
New Technology Research: Innovative Products such as Bionic Cameras, Vision-LiDAR Fusion Sensors, Auditory Sensors Further Enhance Vehicle Perception Capabilities
ForewordResearchInChina released th...
Automotive Optical Fiber Communication (Optical Fiber Ethernet, PON) and Supply Chain Research Report, 2026
Research on Automotive Optical Fiber Communication: Introduction of Optical Fiber in Vehicles Accelerates, with Priority Deployment in High-Speed Communication Link (10+Gbps) Scenarios
Automotive opt...
Automotive Intelligent Cockpit SoC Research Report, 2026
Automotive Cockpit SoC Research: Passenger Cars in the Price Range of RMB100,000–200,000 Account for Nearly 50% of Total Sales, and New-Generation Cockpit SoC Products Largely Enter Mass Production
P...
LiDAR (Automotive, Pan-Robotics, etc.) Application Research Report, 2025-2026
LiDAR research: hardware competition shifts to combined sensing capabilities from "point cloud" to "images” and from automotive to robots The "LiDAR (Automotive, Pan-Robotics, ...
Global and China Passenger Car T-Box Market Report, 2026
Based on 2025 market data and the latest business layouts of OEMs and suppliers from 2025 to 2026, this report analyzes the development status quo and future trends of China’s passenger car T-Box mark...
Global and China Range Extended Electric Vehicle (REEV) and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) Research Report, 2026
Research on REEVs and PHEVs: Foreign OEMs are considering extended-range technology as an important strategic option and will launch a series of new vehicles
Global PHEVs & REEVs tend to be domin...
Automotive Voice Industry Report, 2026
Automotive Voice Research: Explosive Growth in Features Like "See and Speak", 35-Fold Increase in External Voice Interaction in Two Years
ResearchInChina has released the Automotive Voice Industry R...
China Passenger Car Digital Chassis Research Report, 2026
Research on Digital Chassis: Leading OEMs Have Completed Configuration of Version 2.0 1. Leading OEMs Have Completed Configuration of Digital Chassis 2.0
By the degree of wired control of each c...