(Beijing) Chinese auto giants, engaged in a bitter price war, gathered in Beijing on Thursday for the Auto China auto show, competing to attract new customers and make headlines in the largest vehicle market electricians around the world and abroad.
The crowd flocks Thursday to the exhibition center which hosts until May 4 the event, usually organized every two years alternating with that of Shanghai, but which has not taken place since 2020 due to the pandemic.
The Chinese electric market has exploded in recent years – representing 69% of global sales in December 2023, according to the Rystad Energy firm – and Chinese manufacturers are now attacking the international market.
The quality of products offered by Chinese manufacturers in recent years is “improving,” William Li, general manager of the Nio brand established in Shanghai, told AFP during the show.
“In the first half of April this year, (China’s) sales of new energy vehicles exceeded sales of fuel vehicles,” Li reported.
PHOTO TATAN SYUFLANA, ASSOCIATED PRESS
William Li
Several other big Chinese names in the sector spoke at the show, such as He Xiaopeng, general manager of XPeng, and Lei Jun, boss of Xiaomi, while visitors wandered between the stands and took photos of the vehicles on display.
Mr. Lei was mobbed by legions of admirers on Thursday, eager to follow his every move at the event venue.
There are as many as 129 electric vehicle brands in China, but only 20 of them have managed to achieve a domestic market share of 1% or more, according to Bloomberg data.
“Optimize the experience”
Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers “view the car much more like Apple views the phone, the iPad or the laptop. They seek to optimize the experience,” said Daniel Kollar, in charge of mobility and automobile issues at the consulting firm Intralink, specifying that “this is what the Chinese consumer expects.”
This poses a challenge for foreign companies trying to position themselves as rivals in the Chinese market.
“Companies like Volkswagen and Stellantis […] are trying to take an approach like “If you can’t beat them, join them,” Kollar told AFP. “This is why we are seeing partnerships appear, like with XPeng. They think that they are behind and that the best way to get ahead is to ally themselves with them.
Among the most prominent brands at the show is BYD (Build Your Dreams), an automobile and battery giant based in Shenzhen.
BYD beat Tesla in 4e quarter 2023 to become the world’s leading seller of electric vehicles.
PHOTO NG HAN GUAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Models pose alongside the BYD Seal 06 Dmi
Tesla claims to have regained that title in the first quarter of this year, but BYD remains firmly in the lead in its home market, with a third of sales, compared to 8% for Tesla.
The company is expected to unveil its first electric pickup truck, the BYD Shark, at the show.
The traditional automobile giants, which have struggled to cope with the surging wave of Chinese competitors in recent years, are also present at this show, while the rapid expansion of Chinese production of electric vehicles worries Western countries , who fear for the future of their own manufacturers.
Batteries and AI
The Chinese company CATL is also represented in Beijing. Founded in 2011 in the eastern city of Ningde, the company is the undisputed leader in electric vehicle batteries globally.
CATL responded Thursday to one of the main criticisms concerning electric automobiles, that of long charging times which limit mobility, by unveiling “Shenxing Plus”, an ultra-rapid recharge battery which can, according to the firm, regain a kilometer of displacement for each second of loading.
XPeng, one of Tesla’s other major rivals in the Chinese market, announced plans to gradually roll out large-scale artificial intelligence (AI) assisted driving in its vehicles in May.
“The AI learns the habits of drivers and can then imitate their driving” and improve safety, described He Xiaopeng of XPeng to the public while presenting X9, a seven-seater “so spacious that it can accommodate five bicycles in its trunk “.
Japanese heavyweight Toyota announced on Thursday that it would partner with Chinese video game and tech giant Tencent in the field of AI to take advantage of Chinese consumers’ growing appetite for advanced functions of smart cars.