EVs continue to boom at Beijing auto show

CGTN | By Wang Tianyu, Yang Jing | 02-Oct-2020

The international and domestic automakers have prominently displayed electric vehicles at the ongoing Beijing Auto Show, the first international auto show of this year since the coronavirus outbreak.

China’s automobile market rebounded swiftly from the aftermath of the economic downturn unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the outbreak brought under control in the country by April, the demand is steadily rising.  Carmakers are cautiously optimistic about the future with concerns about when the pandemic will end completely but they do not want to fall back on their plans to grab a share of China’s booming EV market. Domestic automaker Great Wall Motors (GWM), whose SUV sold well in China, unveiled a three-box sedan at the Beijing auto show. The concept car has a retro look but has been named “Futurist.” Phil Simmons, GWM Global Design Director and Vice President, announced at the press conference that the company will shift its “product-oriented thinking into user-oriented thinking.”

The Futurist echoes Simmons’ speech ending “My destiny, you decide.” It can be hybrid or electric, depending on feedback from the market, he told the media.  Aimed at exploring a design language as a combination of retro, high-tech and time travel, the concept car has a single large dial behind the steering wheel and a touchscreen on the dash. Global brands also voiced their ambition for China’s EV market with local production plans. Audi made the Asia debut of Q4 e-tron concept at the event and its electrification milestone will be produced in China soon with Audi’s local partner FAW. Jaguar Land Rover also launched its plug-in hybrid Discovery Sport P300e at the show as its first made-in-China new energy model that will be manufactured in its plant in east China’s Jiangsu Province. Nissan’s crossover EV Ariya made its China debut at the event, the first time for Ariya being shown publicly outside Japan after being unveiled in Yokohama.

In addition to introducing Ariya to the Chinese market next year, Nissan plans to launch nine EV models in China by 2025, Shohei Yamazaki, senior vice president of Nissan and chairman of the company’s China Management Committee, said at the auto show. Some local EV start-ups did not attend the auto show, including Qiantu, Aiways and Li Auto, which just got listed this summer on the Nasdaq. Some other leading EV start-ups are participating in the show without new models but new plans. Xpeng, which was also listed in New York in August, announced its exports to Europe has started in late September and attracted attention at the show with its first-generation prototype of a flying vehicle. Looking like a large version of human-carrying drone, the prototype is part of the company’s long-term research and development. New York-listed Chinese EV start-up Nio introduced its battery rental plan, which was launched in August, to reduce cost for its car owners.

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