China Body (Zone) Domain Controller and Chip Industry Research Report 2025
ZCU Installations Surpass 2 Million Units, Industry Evolves Toward Modular ‘Plug-and-Play’ Platforms
The newly released “Body (Zone) Domain Controller and Chip Industry Research Report, 2025” from ResearchAndMarkets.com provides an in-depth look at one of the fastest-evolving areas of the automotive electronics industry in China: the transition from traditional body control modules to advanced zone control units (ZCUs). The report not only reviews the current status of Body Control Modules (BCMs), Body Domain Controllers (BDCs), and Zone Controllers (ZCUs), but also tracks installation trends, supplier strategies, and the shift toward modular, software-driven, plug-and-play platforms.
Understanding the Body (Zone) Domain
The body (zone) domain represents a critical layer of a vehicle’s electronic and electrical architecture (EEA). It encompasses different types of controllers, each with distinct responsibilities:
- Body Control Module (BCM):
The BCM handles auxiliary electrical functions such as doors, windows, mirrors, lights, and wipers. It directly drives actuators, and a typical vehicle may contain one or two BCMs. - Body Domain Controller (BDC):
BDCs are higher-level controllers that manage subsystems like lighting, doors, seats, and thermal management. Depending on the automaker’s strategy, BDCs may also integrate functions such as tire pressure monitoring (TPMS), air conditioning, or gateway functionality. A passenger vehicle generally requires one to three BDCs. - Zone Control Unit (ZCU):
ZCUs represent the next stage in architecture evolution. Unlike BCMs or BDCs that group functions by type, ZCUs are physically distributed across zones of the vehicle—for example, front-left, front-right, rear-left, and rear-right. Each ZCU may integrate multiple domains, covering body control, power distribution, gateways, and even chassis or powertrain functions. Instead of relying on multiple smaller ECUs, a ZCU leverages a powerful MCU to unify operations. Automakers typically install two to four ZCUs per vehicle.
ZCU’s Role in the Transformation of Vehicle EEA
The rise of ZCUs is directly linked to the industry-wide restructuring of electronic architectures. Traditionally, vehicles were fitted with dozens or even hundreds of individual ECUs, each dedicated to a specific function. This setup created challenges such as wiring complexity, higher costs, and limited scalability.
By consolidating these ECUs into fewer, more capable controllers, ZCUs bring several benefits:
- Centralized management of distributed systems.
- Simplified wiring harnesses, reducing both weight and cost.
- Cross-domain integration, allowing body systems to work seamlessly with chassis, powertrain, and infotainment systems.
- Software-driven upgrades, where features can be added or improved through OTA (over-the-air) updates.
In short, ZCUs represent a steppingstone toward the central computing + zone architecture that many OEMs now see as the future of intelligent vehicles.
Market Growth and Penetration
The Chinese market has been a particularly fertile ground for this transformation. According to the report:
- In 2024, the total market size of the body (zone) domain, including BCM, BDC, and ZCU products, exceeded 15.62 billion yuan.
- ZCUs accounted for a rapidly growing share, with penetration reaching 8.83% of passenger vehicles in China.
- This translated into over 2 million installed ZCU units and a market value of 3.93 billion yuan.
Looking ahead, ZCUs are expected to become the primary driver of growth, outpacing traditional BCMs and BDCs as OEMs accelerate the shift to zonal architectures.
Development Trends in Zone Controllers
The report identifies six key technology and design trends shaping the next generation of ZCUs:
1. MCU-Less Technology
- Hardware Integration: Multi-core high-performance MCUs are replacing multiple low-end units, reducing costs by around 40%.
- Lower Power Consumption: Integrated designs cut energy usage by about 20%.
- Software Flexibility: Using service-oriented architecture (SOA), central high-performance computers (HPCs) can dynamically allocate functions, enabling seamless OTA upgrades.
2. Edge AI Computing
- ZCUs are increasingly equipped with AI acceleration cores, enabling localized image recognition and decision-making at the edge.
- This reduces reliance on central processors for tasks such as camera-based object recognition.
3. Smart Power Devices (SmartFETs)
- SmartFETs are replacing traditional MOSFETs, bringing integrated protection, monitoring, and current sensing capabilities.
- They support diverse loads like motors, LEDs, and traditional bulbs, improving adaptability.
4. Real-Time Performance and Safety Redundancy
- ZCUs must meet microsecond-level responsiveness for cross-domain scheduling.
- Compliance with ISO 26262 ASIL-D safety standards requires advanced redundancy such as lockstep core technology, though this raises costs.
5. Plug-and-Play Modularization
- A hardware abstraction layer enables one software set to work across multiple vehicle models.
- Development cycles shrink to as little as 12 months.
- Companies like Infineon and Flextronics (Flex) are building modular ZCU platforms that allow pluggable modules for functions such as power distribution or gateways.
- Security features prevent unauthorized modules from being installed.
6. Adoption of 10BASE-T1S Ethernet
- This low-cost 10 Mbps automotive Ethernet standard is expected to replace CAN bus systems in many applications.
- Once mature, it will streamline communication across body, chassis, and infotainment systems, further reducing ECU counts.
OEM Adoption and Architectures
China’s leading automakers are already rolling out ZCUs across new vehicle platforms:
- Xiaomi Auto: Introduced ZCU solutions in its EEA1.0 (SU7) and updated EEA1.5 (YU7) architectures.
- Leapmotor: Uses ZCUs as part of its LEAP3.5 intelligent platform.
- Voyah: Employs ZCUs under its Tianyuan architecture.
- FAW Hongqi: Integrated ZCUs in its FEEA3.0 architecture.
- IM Motors: Built ZCUs into its Z-ONE Full-stack 3.0 solution.
- Changan Automobile: Uses ZCUs in its SDA platform.
- GAC: Rolled out ZCU-based X-soul architecture.
- Huawei (Smart Selection): Deploys ZCUs across the Jie series.
Other OEMs—including BYD, Li Auto, Geely, SAIC, Tesla, BMW, and Volkswagen—are also exploring ZCU-based architectures, reflecting a broad industry commitment to zonal design.
Supply Chain and Ecosystem
The transition to ZCUs is driving intense activity across the supply chain, from Tier 1 integrators to semiconductor firms:
- Tier 1s and Integrators: Continental, Aptiv, UAES, Marelli, Jingwei Hirain, and Desay SV are actively developing ZCU platforms.
- Semiconductors: Infineon, NXP, Texas Instruments, STMicroelectronics, Onsemi, Analog Devices, Broadcom, and Marvell supply key MCUs, networking chips, and power devices.
- Chinese Players: Companies such as AutoChips, Novosense, KKChips, Sillumin Semiconductor, and Chipanalog are strengthening their domestic presence in the ZCU chip ecosystem.
This ecosystem is becoming highly competitive, with global giants and local innovators vying to supply the brains of China’s next-generation vehicles.
The Road Ahead
The future of body (zone) domain controllers in China will be defined by three major forces:
- Software-defined vehicles (SDVs): With SOA and OTA upgrades, vehicles will evolve continuously after production.
- Centralized + zonal architecture: This will reduce wiring harness weight, simplify manufacturing, and increase reliability.
- Cross-domain convergence: As ZCUs integrate more body, chassis, and powertrain functions, the boundaries between domains will blur.
Ultimately, the industry is moving toward a vision where ZCUs serve as modular, plug-and-play nodes within a distributed yet centrally coordinated architecture. This will not only cut costs but also accelerate innovation cycles, bringing new features to market faster.
