China has the most significant new car market and makes more than any other country. You’d think we’d know Chinese automakers as well as Detroit ones, but since their cars still need to be sold in the US, readers may not know their names. Only four of China’s nine biggest automakers with more than one brand, which have about 50 nameplates between them, have made a global strategy. Only Geely, BYD, and Nio are far enough along right now to be able to compete with brands from the US, South Korea, and Europe. A lot of second-tier competitors are increasing and moving in on these industry leaders. These five companies stand to gain the most from the switch to EVs. Human Horizons emphasizes high-end features. Human Horizons, which used to be the general manager of a private company owned by Shanghai General Motors, has signed an assembly contract with the well-known Dongfeng Yueda Kia and is boldly going after the high-end luxury market. Under the HiPhi brand, you can buy the full-size X SUV and the Z sedan online. The second one has a 330-mile range and an extra-large battery pack and can go from 0 to 62 mph in 3.8 seconds. Customers seem to like features like power-operated rear suicide doors and gullwing roof panels, unique lighting arrangements, a TV-sized screen for the front passenger, and a central monitor that can change from portrait to landscape mode. Human Horizons could be a one-hit wonder or the start of something unique. BYD wants to be as good as Tesla and Mercedes. Build Your Dreams already sells cars to people in Europe who like startups, love Google software, and have a lot of money. Its most expensive EVs are the Tang (SUV with seven seats), the Han (compact car), and the Atto 3 (crossover with five seats). But BYD is a Chinese company that makes affordable transportation devices. Even though the names of the cars sound like something from the next Avatar movie, the BYD Ocean series is a better choice. The new platform for the Seagull, Dolphin, and Seal has a design with 800 volts and a battery with cells that look like blades. The attractive Frigate 07 plug-in hybrid SUV competes with the Model Y, while the Seal competes with the Tesla Model 3. Also, we chose BYD as a front-runner for its new Yangwang premium sub brand, which will compete with BMW and Mercedes. Yangwang, whose name in Chinese means “looking up,” shows off the U8, a six-figure SUV with four engines that are made to compete with the G-Wagen and the Land Rover Defender. The U9, an all-electric supercar with a 0–62 mph time of 2 seconds, was unveiled. Using Nio to make charging batteries better Even though Nio cars can be charged the same way as other cars, the company is built around quickly swapping out batteries. The founder of Nio, Bin Li, got big investors like Autohome, Lenovo, and Tencent to back his global system for obtaining energy from other sources. In China, people think Nio is on par with or even better than its German competitors regarding customer service. This is because Nio makes it easy for apps to work together and offers remote services. Remote places are serviced by a fleet of cars that can charge all the time and by 180-kW and 500-kW fast chargers. Even a smartphone that Nio will only sell is reportedly in the works. The roomy ES7 SUV and the stylish ET5 sedan are both built on the second-generation NT2.0 architecture. Both are expected to have a range of up to 400 miles. Nio wants to start selling products under the Alps brand the following year. These products will be innovative and cost less than $40,000. Himalaya, a cheap brand that wants to compete in the $20,000 price range, should be on the market by 2025. XPeng is a dark horse with a lot of technology. The small Chinese company XPeng Motors focuses on value. XPeng, a company based in Guangzhou traded on the New York Stock Exchange, has four models with good designs and prices: the G3i, the P7, the P5, and the top-of-the-line G9. The G9 can park itself, get updates over the air, let you drive without using your hands, and has a voice assistant that can talk to each of the four people in the car separately. Even XPeng’s best all-wheel-drive model with 543 hp is priced at a reasonable level. The crossover is like a music hall on wheels. It has 28 speakers, six-seat vibration units, amphitheater seating in the second row, and a powerful 2250-watt amplifier. The G9 has everything it needs to be a good underdog. Geely: “The Person in Charge” In the car business, Geely is respected and feared simultaneously. The company owns Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, Lynk & Co., and half of Smart and Proton. It also owns LEVC (formerly London Taxi), Geometry, and Zeekr, less well-known companies. Jidu is a company that works with the biggest search engine, Baidu. Radar is a new company that makes cheap electric pickup trucks and SUVs. Even though Geely’s brand cars don’t look very interesting, anything made with the new Sustainable Experience Architecture grid is worth considering. Two examples are the excellent Zeekr 001 crossover and the company’s boxy, offensive 009 MPV, which will be replaced this year by a high-end sedan. The 001 is a cheap all-wheel-drive car that can go about 260 miles, has a 536-horsepower battery, and all four wheels are driven. As we look further into the future, we see that Waymo and Mobileye will work together in 2024 to make a self-driving ride-hailing van and a self-driving car. Expats In China, many of the best-known and oldest car companies in the US are well-known, but not the ones you’d expect. In 2021, more Lincoln cars were sold in China than in the US, and Buick is a famous brand. Here are some of the most exciting vehicles that American automakers only sell in China. GL8 Century Buick Vans are trendy in China, especially the high-end ones that the wealthy use to get around. Since the GL8 was the only car on the market, Buick has had a monopoly on the market. Their most recent model is now called the Century. There’s a refrigerator and a 32-inch entertainment screen, and the footrests are heated. Buick Velite/Chevrolet Menlo 6 These two station wagons are the EVs for GM’s Chinese business, and a plug-in hybrid version of the Buick is also on the market. More versions that use electricity are in the works. Alexander Zephyr If the Lincoln MKZ had looked like this, it might have sold better in the US. Even though it is based on the Ford Mondeo, a family sedan, the new Zephyr doesn’t look like a family car.
