At this week’s Shanghai Auto Show some of the hottest topics were the sedan, car-sharing and ride-hailing services
Following the example of the Sedan, many high-profile automakers have announced all-electric cars at this week’s Shanghai Auto Show, among which were two by EV startups NIO, Xpeng, and one by Geely, the owner of Volvo. Their cars are for now just concepts, so the companies did not reveal too many details nor pricing.
Aston Martin also introduced its first all-electric car, the Rapide E, as well as the return of Lotus as an all-electric hypercar maker. Also, sedans became the standout trend of the show after Ford and General Motors previously killed off all the sedans in the United States.
Moreover, Tesla also set up a booth with its Model 3 sedan, but missing its newest Model Y compact SUV. Tesla recently began delivering its Model 3 in China, and the project for building its new Model Y is in development and will start production right after its new Gigafactory that is being built outside of Shanghai is finished.
Chinese car manufacturers such as BYD, Geely, and SAIC have a desire to start bringing more electric vehicles on the market following China’s new policy to promote electric cars – known in the country as “new-energy vehicles”. The carmakers are basically fighting to win as many green credits as they can in order to comply with the present Chinese regulations, about 10 new-energy vehicle credits are required for every 100 combustion engine cars made.
And this is not all, both Chinese and foreign carmakers are recognizing the growing importance and need for a car of the future – which will need to be autonomous, hyper-connected, and shared. With ride-hailing services and car-sharing not far on the horizon, the need for vehicles specifically designed to cater to these needs was one of the hottest topics at the latest Shanghai Auto Show, which can easily turn China into the new concept’s laboratory.
