BWI Group Chief Engineer Philippe Germain tells us why it isn’t just battery prices giving China the edge with EVs
The average passenger car has grown heavier by more than 25% in the last decade, driven largely by the rise of battery-electric powertrains. It is not uncommon for EVs to tip the scales at over 2.5 tonnes now. This additional mass isn’t just a packaging or range problem; it has significant implications for vehicle dynamics.
Heavier vehicles are harder to control, and the added weight amplifies body motions, making ride quality more difficult to manage. In parallel, customer expectations for comfort are rising. The near-silent nature of electric drivetrains has made ride harshness and noise more apparent than ever.
To meet these challenges, many OEMs are turning to semi-active suspension systems. These systems continuously adjust damping in real time, enabling much finer control of body and wheel motions. Unlike passive dampers, which offer a fixed behaviour, semi-active systems adapt to changing road conditions and driving demands on the fly.
The global semi-active suspension market is expected to grow from $5 billion in 2025 to $9 billion by 2033. It’s being fuelled by the greater suspension demands of heavier EV platforms, whose numbers continue to rise, and increasing safety regulations and ADAS integration. However, most of this growth is expected to occur in the Asia-Pacific region.
In China, this approach is already being adopted at scale. Brands such as BYD, NIO, Zeekr and Chery are deploying semi-active suspensions not just on high-end vehicles, but increasingly on mid-range EVs as well. Their ability to deliver both a smooth ride and confident handling is becoming a competitive differentiator. And it’s not just a short-term advantage; this digitisation of chassis subsystems also positions these manufacturers well for the industry’s shift toward software-defined vehicles.
By contrast, the European market is lagging. While some premium marques are embracing semi-active systems, the push to bring affordable EVs to market has often meant sticking with cheaper passive suspension technologies.
Is there a hidden cost to remaining passive? The unit cost of a passive system will always remain cheaper than semi-active solutions but there are other costs and opportunities to be considered. For example, the development of passive dampers often requires numerous design iterations to be engineered and manufactured to achieve the desired performance, which can be cost and resource intensive. Whereas a digitally controlled semi-active system can be tuned via software through a laptop. This shortens development timelines and reduces prototyping costs, something that’s particularly valuable as OEMs race to bring new EVs to market.
There is also the additional opportunities that semi-active systems enable that need to be considered. A digital system can be cost-effectively optimised to suit regional preferences, over-the-air updates reduce the risk of warranty issues and recalls and premium functionalities, such as driving modes, can be offered to consumers. A more holistic view should be taken when considering the cost of adopting semi-active suspension systems.
This is what is happening in China and now European manufacturers can benefit from the technology being adopted at scale. BWI Group’s semi-active technology, MagneRide, has been implemented across a range of vehicle segments and this has contributed to driving down system costs and increasing supply chain efficiency. As a result, European manufacturers can take advantage of a mature, proven technology that has already been validated in arguably the most competitive EV market in the world.
Looking ahead, semi-active suspension will become increasingly essential across the full spectrum of EVs. As the Chinese industry has demonstrated, this is both technically feasible and commercially viable. The question for Europe is whether it will capitalise on this proven technology to stay competitive in the global EV race, or risk falling behind.
