The 2024 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area International Auto Show was opened in South China’s Shenzhen on June 1-9. Gizmochina went there for a visit. If you want to know more about Chinese electric cars, read until the end to see all of them!
BYD
First up, let’s see what BYD has in its lineup. If you know BYD, you know they have many cars ranging from high-end ones to more price-friendly ones, also buses for commercial use. So this time, there are the Yangwang U8, U9 at one big booth, these two are truly luxurious, not just about the appearance, the power and components inside are also beastly. One thing that’s also very unique about it is that, there is a DJI drone kit made just for the U8, the drone can do everything automatically, once you set it all up on the screen in the car. The U9 as an electric supercar, has a lot of tricks in its sleeves. Some simple facts about it, there are four motors built-in, and the suspension has a special structure that allows the car to respond to potholes really quickly, almost like it can jump over them really fast. And the sensors on top of the front glass will smartly monitor the road ahead, to make sure the suspensions are ready for a quick move. So this is a supercar that is not just built for tracks, but also daily driving.
Now moving up to these more conventional sedans or SUVs. Just several days ago, many people did range tests on the new BYD Qin L-DMi, they all topped the EV range test by finishing at around 2500KM/1500Miles, with one full charge and full tank of gasoline, of course the speed was not that high, but still it’s a record. I think nobody can resist a car with such a range and low cost, isn’t it? Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to take a shoot on that one, but we did take some photos of these two, the Dolphin and Seal. These two are actually the star models overseas, they have been running on the roads in many countries already, such as Asian countries like Thailand, many EU countries, Pacific islands, and South American countries, you should definitely check them out later.
BYD also has a sub-brand called Fangchengbao, it is a brand that focuses on off-roading cars, and there is one called Fangchegnbao 5. As you can see, the appearance and build are all for outdoor driving, if you are interested, you can check out more details about it.
AITO ft. HUAWEI
The HarmonyOS from HUAWEI has been running on many car brands, AITO is the most famous one. The CEO of HUAWEI has shown his face in every AITO car release event, which really means that HUAWEI and AITO are in a very tight relationship. Several months ago, the AITO M9 was released, as a large SUV made for all types of use, it has achieved a sales record of 80k since. So what’s under the hood is the tech behind it, such as the HUAWEI ADS, HUAWEI SOUND, HUAWEI Intelligent Cabin, etc. Some other cars like the M7 and M5 are smaller cars, but basically not that different.
Anyway, unlike Apple which just abandoned the car project, HUAWEI has a more serious approach to the car business, they are quite dedicated to it, and they are moving fast. AITO is the perfect example, and more and more brands are on the way to doing so.
IM
Another brand named IM is also here. For the cars themselves, there are sedan and small SUV, such as the L6 and L7, the LS6 and LS7. The design language is quite unified, with soft lines and more vibrant colors. I think the cars will be more attractive to female users, you can also leave your opinions here.
NIO
NIO is one of the brands that started global sales early, they have gained a good reputation, and also achieved a good sales record in the EU. If you get up on the website, you will see that there are many languages to choose from, which means something. Personally, I think the cars all have really nice aesthetics, we are talking about the ET and ES series. They are all made with the signature front and back of the car, the lights. And there is one special thing about NIO, it is the only car brand that has a swapabble battery built-in, which means they can have infinite range, if there is enough battery station to support that of course, and they are making it happen right now. Funny story, the CEO has tried to have XIAOMI make cars with swappable batteries.
ZEEKR & GEELY
Now ZEEKR is a very interesting brand, it is a sub-brand of GEELY, and you may know that GEELY is the company that purchased VOLVO many years ago. As you might have guessed it, as a brand that is positioned to have an excellent driving experience, ZEEKR has the best chassis originating from VOLVO. The ZEEKR 007 as the best performer from this brand, is a real track beast, it ranked second as an EV on a famous Chinese track, just behind the ZEEKR 001. Speaking of ZEEKR 001, I have been in one, it was a speed demon, and it really scared the lunch out of me.
Although the driving experience is the highlight, and people always compare the ZEEKR 001 to the XIAOMI SU7, because they are positioned almost the same. BUT the operation system, I mean the smart features and stuff, it is not the best, but they are working on it though, we will see.
And for GEELY, it is a car company with a long history, their cars I would say are not that high-end, but reliability and affordability are still its tags, and VOLVO’s tech helped a lot, let’s just put it that way.
Li AUTO
As a car brand created by a middle-aged aged, who worked in the car media industry man, it carries that gene in the cars. The L7 8 9 are all made for a whole family, they are not made with harsh lines, and color choices are safe also. But the interior is just splendid, yes that’s the word for them, you have excellent screens and speakers, big screens, sofa-like seats, and a fridge. Funny, right? And that’s how the Chinese see them. These models are also selling globally, you can check them out later. There were a lot of car influencers driving these cars to Thailand, Alaska, and some really remote places in China, so they have been through the most serious tests, certainly very reliable and comfortable.
The new one, MEGA, has received a lot of comments, good and bad, since its debut. It is shaped like a bullet train if you can tell, and it is also a very good choice for traveling or business use.
Hyper & AION
A few days ago, we posted a short video sharing our thoughts on Hyper recruiting former Tesla Supercharger team members, it is a really smart move and they are moving quickly. As you can see, the cars in its lineup are more flashy, and can be very attractive to many people. So if they make it to land in the USA and EU successfully, it will be about the cars and the supercharging stations.
So behind this brand, is AION as its mother company. AION is more of a brand that makes commercial use cars, we see a lot of the cars running on the road as taxis. The cars are not the best-looking ones, but they have excellent room inside, and a really good range packed.
Other Brands
It’s a pity that XIAOMI is not here this time, but I mean they have only one car so far, and the heat is still there, they don’t need to make a presence here. But Leijun did show up on the first day, joining hands with the CEO of HUAWEI, quite a harmonious picture, isn’t it?
You may also want to see some traditional car brands, right? So Volkswagen, BUICK, Mercedes-Benz, showed up with some old models, and some new EVs. And to be honest, they are far less interesting than other innovative electric cars.
And there are actually many brands that are selling cars globally, and we wouldn’t be able to show all of them here. Also with so many people around every car during the show, we can’t get in them to show you every detail, sorry about that.
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