ClearMotion has opened its inaugural production facility in Changshu, China, marking a major step from technology development into manufacturing at scale. The facility is now operational and was established to support production of ClearMotion1 for automotive customers, including NIO.

From development to manufacturing at scale

The Changshu facility is designed to produce up to 1.5 million ClearMotion1 units annually at full operation. ClearMotion1 is the company's active suspension technology, developed to reduce unwanted vehicle motion and create a more controlled in-cabin experience across changing road conditions.

The opening represents ClearMotion's largest investment to date and brings its technology into series production for consumer vehicles for the first time.

Supporting NIO ET9 production

Production at Changshu will support ClearMotion's manufacturing order from NIO, including the upcoming ET9. At the time of the announcement, product deliveries from the facility were scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2024.

The site launched with more than 35 ClearMotion employees, with plans to add further engineering and technical roles as production activity increased.

A blueprint for global expansion

ClearMotion developed the Changshu facility around a build-in-the-region, for-the-region approach. The company said the site would serve as a blueprint for future production plants in North America and Europe, helping establish a repeatable model for efficient manufacturing and deployment.

For ClearMotion, the opening marks a new phase of global expansion as the company moves from development programmes towards wider production of its software-defined chassis technologies.