SHANGHAI — The Shanghai auto show was eye-opening for the sheer number of Chinese brands seeking to satisfy local buyers’ cravings for new high-tech models.
Keen pricing, driven by cut-throat competition and a maturing local battery supply chain, means the consumer is currently king, which is giving brands a financial headache.
Not every new model at the show was full-electric. Plug-in hybrids with a long electric range were common, while Chery revealed an electric SUV with a gasoline range extender.
Meanwhile, GAC showed off a concept showcasing hydrogen-fueled internal combustion drivetrains.
Here are some of the most interesting Chinese cars at the show:
iCar 03
Chery’s new electric brand iCar, which is aimed at younger buyers, launched with the GT sports car and the 03 compact SUV concepts.
The 03 is designed in the style of an angular offroader and appears to take inspiration from the Land Rover Defender with features such as its the side-opening rear door.
Chery said the 03 will go into production later this year and that it is preparing the SUV for a European launch with a target date of 2024.
China prices for the car are expected to be around 200,000 yuan ($29,000). The predicted electric range of more than 400 km (249 miles) will be topped up by solar roof panels.
The CEO of premium electric brand Nio, William Li, unveiled the midsize ES6, the newest version of the brand’s entry SUV, to whoops and claps from a 100-plus crowd dominated by passionate fans of the brand.
The car upgrades Nio’s design language from its more angular beginnings to a smooth, more rounded look that manages to increase the premium feel without looking too anonymous.
No specs were revealed ahead of the official launch in May, but the car will retain Nio’s 75-kilowatt hour and 100-kWh battery packs that can be swapped out in around five minutes in the company’s Power Swap battery swap stations.
The car will be coming to European markets badged as the EL6 at a later date.
The Song L is a high-riding SUV concept designed by BYD head of design Wolfgang Egger, who has led design at Audi, Alfa Romeo and Lancia during his career. The SUV is heading for production later this year, BYD said.
The Song L is part of the brand’s more upmarket ‘Dynasty’ range and will use the brand’s own Blade battery with lower-price lithium ion phosphate chemistry. The cells will be built into the car itself, a process that could streamline production.
The SUV’s striking design makes a success of the popular coupe-crossover shape, of which there are plenty of awkward examples in China. No dimensions were given but the model appears to be midsize, which would make it a competitor to Tesla’s Model Y.
The GAC-owned Aion EV brand, a big-seller in China, unveiled the Hyper GT last year, but it announced prices at the Shanghai show and they were surprisingly competitive for a car with premium specification and scissor-opening front doors.
Despite its sporty name, the Hyper GT is a conventional contender in the hotly-contested near-premium midsize sedan category. The entry 560 model, named for its range in km (348 miles), costs from the equivalent of 29,000 euros ($31,800), undercutting the cheapest Tesla Model 3.
The car has three battery options starting at 60kWh with the top-spec 80kWh pack boosting the claimed range to 710km. The mid-spec 70kWh pack is swappable. The car also features three lidar sensors, one on the roof and two each side of the vehicle.
The GAC Trumpchi Space concept takes the brand’s expertise in minivans and imagines a future where car travel is almost all autonomous and where the entire front end of the vehicle is now a grille.
Aside from GAC’s take on the lounge idea, the concept is also a showcase for the brand’s hydrogen development.
GAC said the concept is powered by a hybrid powertrain combining a 2.0-liter combustion engine running on hydrogen rather than gasoline. The engine is mated to an electric motor fed by plug-in battery pack.
GAC is testing the engine in a prototype version of its Trumpchi E9 minivan and says it is capable of driving about 100 km on battery power and 400 km on hydrogen power.