BYD, MG lead Chinese brands at 2023 Munich auto show

The message from Chinese automakers at the IAA Mobility Munich auto show is “We’re here, and we’re here to stay.”

At least seven Chinese automakers are planning displays in Munich: BYD, Dongfeng, HiPhi, Leapmotor, MG, Seres and Xpeng, while two brands under the Geely umbrella, Smart and Polestar, will show models that are built in China. Notable absences include Nio and Aiways.

In addition, China’s electric mobility trade show, the World New Energy Vehicle Congress, will be held on Sept. 6 in Munich -- the first time the WNEVC has taken place outside of China.

Here’s what we know about Chinese brands’ plans for the show, which opens to the public Sept. 5:

The brand rivals Tesla for global sales of full-electric vehicles, and it also sells hundreds of thousands of plug-in hybrids in its home market. BYD is rolling out a full range of models for Europe that it will display in Munich, including the European launch of the Seal midsize sedan (entering the Europe market later this year) and the Seal U midsize SUV. Other, previously shown models include the Han large sedan and Tang large SUV; the Atto 3 compact SUV; and the Dolphin compact hatchback. It will also introduce its sub-brand Denza, a joint venture with Mercedes-Benz. The Denza D9 (below), a seven-seat luxury van, is scheduled to be on display.

The Chinese automaker has had joint ventures with Honda, Nissan, Renault and Stellantis, among others, but it appears poised to sell its own vehicles in Europe. Official plans for Munich include a news conference and the launch of the M6 passenger van, but no futher information was forthcoming from Dongfeng about other models. 

The high-end EV startup entered the European market this year with the X large SUV and Z GT sedan. It will show the Z at the auto show grounds, while the X and the Y, a smaller midsize sedan with gullwing rear doors will be on display at its new retail space, called the HiPhi Hub, at Munich airport. 

This Chinese startup has found itself in the spotlight with potential tie-ups with European automakers. VW is reportedly interested in cooperating on its Jetta Chinese brand, using a new platform developed by Leapmotor that includes an integrated computing platform capable of controlling all intelligent functions including autonomous driving and smart cockpit functions. Stellantis, too, is said to be in talks with the Hangzhou-based company. The brand quietly launched the T03 minicar in Europe this year at a price of about 26,000 euros; the next model set for a European launch is the C11 SUV, available in China in full-electric or “range extender” hybrid versions.

The leading Chinese brand in Europe -- just behind Tesla in total sales -- is a division of SAIC. It will show the MG Cyberster full-electric sports car, which had its public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July; the MG4 Electric XPOWER, a high-performance variant of the compact EV; and the MG Marvel R, an all-wheel-drive, high-performance version of the electric SUV.

The Geely brand started as Volvo's tuning division but became a stand-alone brand in 2017, and the EV maker went public last year. It will show the Polestar 2 midsize sedan and Polestar 3 SUV in the city center display area. The launch of the Polestar 3, a sibling model to the Volvo EX90, has been delayed until early 2024 due to software issues. 

The key interest here is that Seres is the cellphone giant Huawei’s EV brand. Seres has begun selling two models in Europe, the Seres 5 midsize coupe SUV (known as the Aito M5 in China) and the smaller Seres 3 crossover. 

The onetime Mercedes-Benz brand is now a 50-50 joint venture with Geely. At the Munich show it will debut the Smart #3, a compact SUV, for European buyers.

Volkswagen Group’s 700 million-euro investment in Xpeng, a startup that began selling cars in 2018, in exchange for a 5 percent stake, instantly raised the automaker’s profile in Europe, where it has just started deliveries of the P7 midsize sedan. The P7 and G9, a midsize SUV, will be on display and available for test drives in the city center, and Xpeng executives will host a news conference on Sept. 4, where they will likely be asked to comment on the VW investment.