Shanghai show highlights growing rivalry between Chinese and European brands

China’s rising automakers will go head-to-head in their home market with Europe’s top brands at this year’s Shanghai auto show, which once more becomes a major event in the auto calendar after being upended by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Germany’s Volkswagen Group is sending CEO Oliver Blume, along with the head of its VW brand, Thomas Schaefer, and Audi CEO Markus Duesmann, in a sign of the importance of China, which is the group’s biggest global market. Mercedes-Benz CEO Oliver Kallenius will also attend the show.

As competition intensifies at home, especially for electric cars, Chinese brands have set their sights on Europe with EVs that have high-tech features and top NCAP safety ratings.

SAIC’s MG last year doubled its sales to 113,917 cars in Europe, putting it ahead of other Chinese newcomers to the region such as BYD, Great Wall, Xpeng and Nio. In Shanghai, Nio and Xpeng, along with startup brands HiPhi and Geely’s Zeek, will debut Europe-bound EVs.

Key debuts from European automakers include the Volkswagen ID7 full-electric sedan, which will be the flagship of its ID model line; the Porsche Cayenne, which gets a major face-lift; and the Mercedes-Maybach EQS, an ultraluxury SUV aimed at China’s wealthy customers. It will be the subbrand’s first full-electric model.

The 2021 Shanghai show was a low key event held under the shadow of the pandemic. This year’s exhibition will be the world’s most diverse auto show based on automaker participation after the decline or cancellation of other globally significant shows such as Geneva.

The show’s press days are Tuesday and Wednesday.

Here are some of the key debuts:

AUDI

Audi will reveal more details about its Formula One project. The brand is entering the race series in 2026, when it will provide engines for the Sauber team, which will become the Audi works team.

BYD

BYD’s YangWang U9 electric supercar that can run on three wheels will get a public debut after its digital reveal in January. The U9 uses a new suspension system to lift up the corner to avoid damaging the brake rotors in case of tire or wheel failure. The automaker is also expected to unveil its Seagull electric city hatchback. The Dynasty B-Class electric SUV also will make its global debut, BYD has announced on its Weibo account. 

HIPHI

Human Horizons Technology’s HiPhi brand will reveal the HiPhi Y, its third model. The brand says is designed and engineered with global markets in mind. Currently, HiPhi sells the X SUV and Z sedan in China. It plans to launch sales in selected European countries. Human Horizons was established in Shanghai in 2017 by Ding Lei and Phil Murtaugh, two former senior executives at SAIC-GM. HiPhi said the HiPhi X is now ready for European sales, with homologation by TÜV SÜD.

HONDA

Honda’s full-electric subbrand, e:N, will display prototypes of a second batch of products for the first time. The first two locally produced e:N models — the e:NP1 and the e:NS1 – went on sale in China last year. Both are compact crossovers.

LEXUS

The new LM minivan will make its global debut. The brand will sell the car for the first time in Europe as a rival to the Mercedes-Benz V-Class. Lexus unveiled the first-generation LM at the 2019 Shanghai show.

LINCOLN

Lincoln will unveil a new version of its Nautilus premium midsize SUV, with styling that will closely follow that of the China-only Zephyr sedan, images posted by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information show. Powertrains are likely to include a hybrid version.

MASERATI

The full-electric version of Maserati’s Grecale midsize SUV will be seen in public for the first time. The Grecale Folgore, as the EV version will be known, will arrive at European dealerships in the third quarter and in the U.S. by the end of the year. The Grecale Folgore sits on an adapted version of the Giorgio platform that also underpins the Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV.

MERCEDES-BENZ

Mercedes will unveil the newest edition to its ultraluxury Maybach range — the Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV. The SUV will be Mercedes-Maybach’s first full-electric model. It’s a reworked version of the U.S.-built EQS large SUV. China accounted for about half of Maybach’s 23,000 sales last year.

MINI

Mini has revamped its Aceman concept to include a digital personal assistant that takes the form of a British bulldog character called Spike. The character appears on the Aceman’s circular OLED touchscreen to guide users through the digital features. It will be included in future small electric Minis. The Aceman battery-electric small crossover will be built in China alongside a new all-electric Mini hatchback. Both models will use a platform developed jointly with Great Wall. Mini will also debut a convertible version of its current electric hatchback.

NIO

Chinese premium electric brand Nio will unveil the new version of its entry-level ES6 – a small SUV that will be renamed the EC6 in Europe following a legal challenge from Audi because of potential confusion with Audi’s sporty S line. Nio will also demonstrate its third-generation battery swap station, which promises battery exchanges.

NISSAN

Nissan’s new EV concept, specifically designed for China, will be the automaker’s Shanghai star. The Nissan Max-Out, an electric convertible concept, will also be exhibited. The Max-Out was first revealed in 2021 as a digital concept. 

POLESTAR

Polestar will debut the Polestar 4, a coupe-styled, midsize crossover that in Europe will join a segment led by the Tesla Model Y and also contested by the Audi Q4 E-tron and BMW iX3. Polestar’s fastest production model has been described as a “four-door elevated GT” by CEO Thomas Ingenlath.

PORSCHE 

The Cayenne large SUV has been given “one of the most extensive product upgrades in the history of Porsche,” according to the automaker. The revamped model that debuts in Shanghai will have a new digital display, a new chassis system and 2innovative technology features,” Porsche said. China is Porsche’s largest global market.

SMART

The Smart #3, a coupe-styled full-electric SUV, will get its public debut. The compact SUV is the brand’s second all-new model after the smaller #1 as Smart relaunches as an electric-only joint venture between China’s Geely and Mercedes. The #3 will go on sale in China by the end of the year and will arrive in Europe in early 2024.

TOYOTA

Two new models under the Toyota brand’s bZ family of EVs will debut. The two EVs will be rolled out in the Chinese market next year. 

VOLKSWAGEN

Volkswagen’s big reveal is the ID7 full-electric midsize sedan, which will sit at the top of the brand’s ID range of MEB-based electric cars. The ID7 will be aimed mainly at U.S. and Chinese buyers but will also be sold in Europe. VW said the ID7 has a new optimized electric drivetrain with a maximum range of 700 km (435 miles) on the WLTP cycle, making it comfortable for long distance travel. The ID7 will also have a 15-inch touchscreen that’s new to MEB models. The ID7 is similar in size to the Mercedes EQE. The ID7’s starting price in Germany will be well below 60,000 euros, company sources say.

XPENG

Chinese premium electric brand Xpeng will unveil the G6 coupe-styled midsize SUV. The car will compete against the Tesla Model Y and Nio EC6. It is expected to launch in European markets with high EV sales. The brand will also showcase its next-generation technology. 

ZEEKR

Geely’s premium electric brand, Zeekr, will show the X electric compact crossover. The new model will be sold in Europe to rival German premium electric SUVs such as the Audi Q4 e-tron, BMW iX1 and Mercedes EQA. The X uses the same SEA (Sustainable Electric Architecture) platform as the Smart #1 as well as future electric cars from Volvo and Lynk & CO. Zeekr promises a range of up to 560 km (348 miles) between charges based on the Chinese testing cycle.
 
Automotive News China and Automobilwoche contributed to this report