Chinese automakers dominate Shanghai show

The Shanghai auto show was striking this year for the amount of attention given to Chinese brands compared with foreign rivals.

The domestic brands captured the majority of interest from media and influencers during the show's press days, leaving the exhibition stands of global brands much emptier than those from Chinese rivals.

It did not help that global brands were outgunned on new model reveals. Around 100 new vehicles were launched at the event, of which 70 were all-electric. The vast majority of those 100 were from Chinese automakers.

Most participating automakers – local or foreign -- spent a lot of money to attract attention at an event that has not been held to a global audience here since 2019 due to the pandemic.

Eye-catching gimmicks were everywhere. Polestar, for example, positioned its new Polestar 4 midsize SUV and Polestar 3 large SUV on a narrow runway strip above a field of 80,000 tulips.

The Geely-owned brand was unusual, however, in restricting the number of cars on its stand. Most automakers flooded their floor space with vehicles, enabling visitors to crawl around in new production models.

As Chinese consumers attach a high level of importance to infotainment systems, brands made sure their ever-larger screens worked properly so showgoers could access technology that included features such as Nio’s Nomi virtual assistant, which responds to voice commands.

It soon became clear at the show that even ultraluxury brands such as Bentley, Lamborghini or Maserati could not compete with much younger Chinese brands such as HiPhi, Aion or Xpeng. Attendance at BYD’s new Yangwang premium brand stand was so intense that the automaker had to create a queuing system to view the models.

Aside from reveals such as the VW ID7, the Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV and the full-electric version of the Maserati Grecale SUV, established global brands had little new to show.

Electric concepts from Toyota and Honda previewed potentially exciting new models, but they failed to receive the same attention as their Chinese rivals.

The buzz on the Chinese stands was not always naturally generated though. GAC hired around 100 influencers, mainly young women, to populate its stand and broadcast hours of information on social media about its Trumpchi brand.

Nio, meanwhile, staffed its multi-zone stand with an army of volunteers sourced from among its database of engaged owners, who continue to interact with the brand post-sale through its app and city showrooms.

Some foreign brands did manage to capture their share of interest amid stiff local competition. Porsche generated a buzz around 911 variants such as its off-road Dakar as well as the face-lifted Cayenne SUV.

BMW meanwhile entertained showgoers with a stand showcasing a wide variety of models, including the new XM plug-in hybrid.

Absent altogether was Tesla, a local hero for its thriving Shanghai production facility. The brand has boosted sales recently with price cuts that have put pressure on local rivals. But Tesla’s cars are now old news in terms of the fast-changing Chinese market.

The Shanghai show proved to be an opportunity for the Chinese brands to hit back with that traditional sales weapon – new product, and the local media responded eagerly. Now those brands will be hoping the buying public react in the same way.

The non-Chinese brands, meanwhile, can only hope that the show has been a temporary sugar rush of excitement generated by the new upstarts, that will now recede.