Such was the scale of the event that any attempt at summarising it will inevitably miss somebody out but we’ll give it a go, starting with cars specifically.
One car that was hard to look past was the Zeekr X. Visually captivating, and thankfully many in number, this dynamic baby SUV has all the ingredients to be a wild success. Edgy styling, great price, a uniquely compelling interior, and one of the finest EV architectures on the market, the X was incredibly popular with showgoers. That it was announced for Europe sales starting in Q4 2023 was the icing on the cake.
XPeng’s new G6 SUV also drew significant crowds. Whether or not they knew about the new SEPA 2.0 platform underpinning it that enables up to 300km of charge in 10 minutes, or whether they just liked its pleasingly egg-shaped exterior and clean and spacious interior, it had queues lining up to take a look. It’s only a shame there were only two of them to see.
BYD have been on quite the renaissance in the last 12 months and didn’t disappoint with their new offerings. Their new small car got more affection than any Seagull ever has and promises to be a big sales hit when it hits the roads later this year. That the brand only brought one made it all the more in demand.
Equally, the brand’s Song L Concept received high praise for its blend of mature yet dynamic looks, though we’ll have to wait a little longer for a peek inside.
Coming in at about $125,000, the Yangwang U8 is likely to be out of most people’s price range when looking for a new car but that didn’t stop people queuing for up to an hour to get on the stand. Whether inspired by its viral Michael Jackson-esque performance on stage or the over 1,000hp of grunt, the crowds were very clearly spending more time with the U8 than its supercar brother, the U9. The death of SUVs is still some way off it seems.
Neta GT
Other visibly popular models included the IM LS7, which was awash with showgoers very early in the day, Geely’s new Galaxy L7, the Neta GT, and the AVATR 11. Even the much-maligned Volkswagen ID.7 Vizzion was getting its fair share of attention. The HiPhi Y also looked great but was kept away from the crowds.
Stars of the Show (Brands)
Some stands were rabidly popular, some came impressively equipped, so here’s a look at those.
Stand of the Show probably goes to NIO, whose enormous corner slot featured three EP9s, a drinks booth, a revolving ES6 arena, a Battery Swap 3.0 demonstration, a massive second floor media lounge, and a never-ending pulse of activity. Crowds flocked to the brand and enjoyed everything on display. The only downside was that the new ES8 remained closed to visitors.
BMW, too, was bursting at the seams on an imaginative stand that showcased everything the brand sells and some things it doesn’t. Whether you can stomach the giant nostrils or not, it was impossible to deny the clamour for Bavaria’s finest, free ice cream or not, and the colour changing Dee concept and M1 Art Car were the cherry on top.
Polestar 4
Polestar, too, caught the public’s imagination with their bold decision to plant 80,000 tulips around an island featuring the Polestar 3, which got its China debut, and the all-new Polestar 4, debuting for the first time ever. The set-up and scarcity of the cars did make it hard to judge what public sentiment was, only a few people got to go up and see both cars at a time, but the stand itself was as bold a look as there is.
Hongqi L5
Hongqi have long felt a little dried-up and crusty, the embodiment of a brand resting on prestigious laurels, but Shanghai changed all that. Their giant corner slot was brim-full of brand-new all-electric cars and facelifted models, as well as an updated L5 flagship sedan (the one the boss man rides in), and an exclusive zone for a gargantuan 3-seat electric SUV concept and top-trim editions of the massive LS7 and HS-9. This was a resounding return to form and the public loved it.
Other popular stands included Li Auto, who announced a new BEV platform and free autonomous driving tech for life, Lotus, who are going full speed to win over local buyers unfamiliar with the brand, and Ora, who despite bringing nothing new still drew plenty of fans.
However, if you’d asked me before the show which stands would be popular, AITO would not have been anywhere near the top of the list, and behold, it may have been the most densely packed stand at the show. Even without the new M9, which was revealed on screen but not on stage, people couldn’t seem to get enough of the refreshed M5 and M7 models with updated interiors and lidar options.
