Not long ago, air suspension was a badge of wealth. So were double-wishbone front suspensions, multi-link rear setups and continuously variable damping. You found them on flagship luxury sedans and six-figure SUVs — cars with a price tag to match.
Walk into a showroom today, and the same hardware is showing up on mainstream electric cars at a fraction of the price — a welcome surprise for anyone shopping for electric cars in Australia. This isn't a corner-cutting trick. It's one of the most interesting economic stories in modern car making — and it's happening because electric cars changed the rules.
Here's how premium chassis technology went from luxury to standard, and what it means for the way your next car will drive.
1. What used to be "luxury hardware"
Let's name the components. For decades, these three were the markers of a serious, expensive chassis:
Double-wishbone front suspension — a more precise design than simple struts, controlling the front wheels through corners with less geometry distortion.
Multi-link rear suspension — independent control of the rear wheels for better grip, stability and comfort.
Continuously variable damping (CDC) — shock absorbers that adjust their firmness in real time, switching from comfort to control within milliseconds.
Air suspension — replacing steel springs with air bags, allowing the car to adjust ride height, soften the ride, or firm up at speed.
Each of these is mechanically complex. Each requires precise manufacturing and control electronics. And each, historically, was produced in relatively small volumes for expensive cars — which kept the price high.
2. Why electric cars changed the economics
Four forces came together with the rise of EVs:
First, the weight. A battery pack adds serious mass to a car — and mass needs management. A heavy EV with simple suspension would feel unwieldy; premium suspension designs became a practical necessity, not a luxury extra.
Second, the platform. Modern EV platforms are designed from the ground up around their batteries, with the suspension engineered as part of the whole structure — not bolted on afterwards. This integrated approach is a hallmark of modern electric car technology: it lowers cost and improves performance at the same time.
Third, the scale. As electric car production scaled up, the volumes of these components exploded. Economies of scale do what they always do: costs fall, quality rises, and what was once exotic becomes ordinary.
Fourth, the competition. In a crowded EV market, brands compete on substance. Putting genuinely good hardware in mainstream models became the fastest way to stand out. It pushed premium chassis technology down the price ladder faster than ever before.
3. What these systems actually do for you
This isn't spec-sheet bragging — you can feel the difference:
Better wheel control. Double-wishbone and multi-link designs keep the tyre contact patch more consistent through corners and over bumps. The car tracks where you point it.
Real-time damping. CDC reads the road and adjusts the suspension's firmness continuously — firm when you're pushing on, supple when you're cruising. One car, two personalities.
Height and comfort control. Air suspension can lower the car at speed for stability, raise it over rough ground, and soften the ride far beyond what steel springs can manage.
A decade ago, that combination was the defining character of a luxury car. Now it's the standard equipment list of a mainstream electric car — and the difference in everyday driving is immediately obvious.
4. What it means for buyers — and for the long term
For buyers, this is the rare case where "better technology" genuinely costs less than it used to. Family-priced electric car models today can deliver ride quality and cornering composure that once required a luxury badge.
There's a long-term angle too. High-quality chassis hardware isn't just about today's ride — it's the foundation for what's coming. Precise suspension control and adjustable ride characteristics are exactly what future automated driving features will rely on. What looks like "generous equipment" today is quietly becoming tomorrow's necessity.
5. XPENG: bringing the hardware and the intelligence to use it
XPENG's Australian range is a direct example of this shift.
The NEW G6 electric SUV and the X9 both carry dual-chamber air suspension — a design that adjusts stiffness across a wide range, from a supple cruise to a firmer, more controlled setting when you need it. Combined with an AI-driven chassis that reads the road in real time, the system continuously tunes damping and stability to match conditions.
The point isn't that XPENG has premium hardware — it's that XPENG treats that hardware as something to be intelligently used, not merely listed. Dual-chamber air suspension plus AI-driven control is exactly the "luxury became standard, then became smart" story playing out in one car.
Conclusion
Electric cars — through necessity, good engineering and sheer production scale — brought double-wishbone suspension, adaptive damping and air suspension into the mainstream. At prices that would have been unthinkable a generation ago.
The result is that the biggest difference between a luxury car and a family car is no longer how well the chassis works. It's what the software does with it.
Ready to feel what mainstream-priced air suspension actually does? Book a test drive with XPENG — one of Australia's leading Chinese EV brands — and experience the NEW G6 or X9. Judge the ride for yourself.
Note: Equipment levels vary by model and specification. Driving characteristics vary with conditions and load.
