The major research directions presently carried out by the automotive engineering research institute are:

Vehicle electronic control technology: Researches on the electronic control theory and technology contributing to improving vehicle comprehensive performance are carried out.

New energy vehicle: Research on the key technology of environmentally friendly vehicles primarily driven by electric and hybrid electric is carried out.

Vehicle digital design and advanced manufacturing technology: Research on high-precision CAE simulation technology and advanced manufacturing technology facing vehicle product development is carried out.

Vehicle NVH and testing technology: Research on noise production and noise propagation mechanisms, control methods, and engineering measures of vehicle vibration noise are carried out, and advanced vehicle testing technology and equipment are developed.

Modern transportation technology: Research on the theory and technology of efficient and safe "person-car-road-environment" coordination control is carried out.

The automotive engineering research institute is carrying out an array of national, provincial, or ministerial subjects and enterprise-commissioned projects. Moreover, the institute has established the "XCMG Group & Jiangsu University Engineering Technology Research Institute" with XCMG Group and has signed an industry, academe, and research cooperation contract with Chery Auto Co., Ltd., including constructing the automotive research institute and carrying out projects of automotive technical research in the future. Additionally, cooperation on industry, academe, and research with some domestic auto and components enterprises is being carried forward steadily and successively. The institute also has a batch of Ph.D. and postgraduate students currently enrolled.

During the twelfth five-year-plan period, the automotive engineering institute has assembled a full-time research team of nearly 40 members through talent introduction and self-education. A batch of famous experts and scholars at home and abroad have been invited to be part-time professors and guest researchers, and the scale of postgraduates will reach nearly 100 members. The institute endeavors to achieve a number of high-level and impactful scientific research achievements and establish a scientific research team composed of research leading talent and outstanding young and middle-aged academic backbones, making a positive contribution to constructing national-level scientific research bases and a national-level key discipline in the vehicle engineering field.