$NIO Inc.(NIO)$$XPeng Inc.(XPEV)$$Li Auto(LI)$NIO's chip team is developing high-level self-driving chips and LiDAR chips, with self-driving chips likely to start being used in production vehicles as early as around 2024, according to local media. (Image credit: CnEVPost) China's three leading new car makers -- NIO, XPeng Motors, and Li Auto -- are developing chips on their own or conducting related research, with NIO making the fastest progress and investing the most, according to local media. NIO's chip team was formed in the second half of 2020 under its smart driving hardware division, which is headed by Bai Jian, the company's vice president of hardware, who wa