EV maker Nio has begun rolling out Cedar 1.4.0, the seventh version of its intelligent system and the largest software update yet for its most expensive models.
The ET9 sedan — the most expensive vehicle ever launched by the Shanghai-based brand — and the best-selling third generation ES8 receive more than 80 new features and optimizations across assisted driving, smart cockpit, the in-car voice assistant, and driving experience.
Version 1.4.0 comes approximately three months after the previous one, which was released in November.
The new update brings a major upgrade to the Nio World Model (NWM), the company’s driver assistance software.
Cedar 1.4.0 marks the latest step in Nio‘s phased software rollout strategy.
The company released the Cedar S 1.3.0 update for its more affordable models — the refreshed ES6, EC6, ET5, and ET5 Touring — in late January, bringing a separate set of improvements to those vehicles.
The in-car voice assistant in Nio brand vehicles is named NOMI, while its two sub-brands adopted different names.
Those updates included features such as the ‘NOMI Message Assistant’, intelligent agile U-turn capability, and a new Spirit Control Knob accessory.
The flagship Cedar platform, which runs on Nio‘s in-house Shenji NX9031 chip, now receives its own dedicated update focused on improving the NWM model as Tesla seeks approval of its Full Software Driving software in China.
Despite Muk’s timeline, Chinese state-owned media reported that the February target “is not true.”
Intelligent Assisted Driving
The headline improvements in Cedar 1.4.0 center on Nio‘s navigation assist system, which covers both urban and highway driving scenarios.
In urban environments, the update introduces efficiency-based lane changes that intelligently select lanes based on real-time traffic flow.
The system’s lane-change behavior has been refined for smoother, more decisive execution, with improved navigation route lane selection that Nio says increases intersection pass-through success rates.
The update also optimizes lane-following logic at consecutive intersections, allowing the vehicle to change lanes earlier for more reasonable positioning.
Urban driving comfort has been improved as well, with smoother acceleration and deceleration and better coordination between steering and speed control, according to the EV maker.
On highways, Nio says the NWM now delivers improved on-ramp and off-ramp route accuracy along with enhanced lane-change capability, raising the overall ramp success rate.
The system also handles temporary construction zones more effectively with improved yielding and rerouting behavior, and reduces hard braking events for a more comfortable high-speed driving experience.
The company described the update’s philosophy as “flagship strength, intelligent new frontier,” emphasizing the NWM’s evolution as the core enabler of its assisted driving improvements.
Parking and Navigation Enhancements
Cedar 1.4.0 introduces several additions to Nio‘s parking spot favorites system.
Drivers can now save non-fixed parking spots, allowing the vehicle to search for available spaces along the route before reaching the favorited location and assist with parking.
The update also adds support for unmarked parking spot favorites and a new scheduled remote parking feature — when the vehicle arrives at a target parking spot, it automatically switches to remote-control parking mode and parks itself once the driver exits.
A new one-tap navigation button lets drivers launch navigation and activate the global navigation assist simultaneously from the route planning screen.
The feature, labeled “Navigate & Go” on the infotainment display, eliminates the need to activate the assisted driving system separately after setting a destination.
Enhanced Lane Centering and Safety Features
The lane centering assist system has received a comprehensive upgrade powered by the NWM.
In urban areas, the vehicle can now handle left and right turns at intersections by reading lane ground arrow markings and corresponding traffic signals — a feature Nio notes is available exclusively to subscribers of its NAD (Nio Autonomous Driving) service.
The system also improves avoidance and lane-change behavior around construction zones and other hazardous scenarios.
A new human-machine co-driving mode allows drivers on urban roads to manually adjust the vehicle’s direction at any time while the assisted driving system remains engaged, offering a more collaborative driving experience that can be activated through the vehicle’s settings menu.
The update introduces several new safety systems.
The Omni-Directional Misacceleration Inhibition Assist (MAI) detects when a driver accidentally presses the accelerator hard while the vehicle is moving slowly or reversing, and restricts acceleration if a collision risk with other vehicles or pedestrians is detected, issuing an audible warning.
The General Obstacle Alert and Assist (GOA) system gains improved detection of rear obstacles during reversing, including short bollards, pillars, and walls.
The Automatic Emergency Steering (AES) system, powered by the upgraded NWM, now handles more complex scenarios including oncoming traffic and vehicles suddenly emerging from blind spots.
Smart Cockpit and Cabin Features
On the cockpit side, Cedar 1.4.0 adds new ETC lane recognition heatmaps to the dynamic environment simulation display, highlighting electronic toll collection lanes when the vehicle enters a toll station area under navigation assist.
The AR head-up display on the ET9 receives several enhancements.
It now supports blind-spot camera feeds and intelligent narrow-road camera views in AR enhanced mode, along with a new blind-zone pedestrian warning that highlights pedestrians and two-wheeled vehicles ahead on the HUD.
Maximum HUD brightness has also been increased to ensure visibility in strong sunlight.
Nio noted that the new HUD features were already available on the all-new ES8.
The ET9’s dynamic light waterfall ambient lighting now supports a cinema sync mode, where the ambient lights automatically read and mirror the colors displayed on the center screen or rear entertainment screen during video playback for a more immersive experience.
This feature was previously available on the ES8 and has now been extended to the ET9.
A new intelligent sound quality adaptive sound stage function automatically adjusts music playback quality from streaming services to match the vehicle’s current sound stage configuration for optimal audio performance.
App and Connectivity
The update also brings new app-based features.
ET9 owners can now control the vehicle’s electric doors remotely through the Nio App, opening or closing individual doors or all four at once.
The third generation ES8 gains remote entertainment screen control through the app, allowing phone-based mirror control of the vehicle’s Sky Screen.
Software Rollout Context
Nio first deployed the NWM in late May 2025 through its Banyan 3.2.0 software update, with the Cedar system following shortly after on the ET9.
The company has since concentrated on optimizing performance as it transitioned to the Shenji NX9031 chip, developed in-house.
The Cedar platform serves Nio‘s flagship vehicles in China, while European models continue to run on the separate Banyan operating system.
The Cedar S variant powers the company’s more affordable refreshed lineup, creating a multi-platform software ecosystem that Nio has been progressively updating through a series of over-the-air releases since mid-2025.
