Red flag and pink fur: what new items were shown in Shanghai
The Shanghai Auto Show is taking place on a grand scale — huge pavilions, hundreds of premieres and an abundance of unfamiliar brands. Despite the fact that many of the cars presented correspond to local tastes, new products suitable for the Russian consumer were also found at the stands. Izvestia correspondents visited the auto show and tell us about the most interesting premieres and trends in Shanghai.
Without a device, but with a neural network
The Hongqi brand's stand features electric cars, an as-yet unnamed brutal SUV, and a prototype flying car. Not so long ago, a car of this brand was the ultimate dream of a member of the Chinese Communist Party, now the "Red Flag", which is how the brand name translates, will fly over the world.
By 2030, the goal has been set to supply 200,000 cars to foreign markets, and total sales should reach one million. Last year, Hongqi sold more than 400,000 vehicles and is already represented in more than 40 countries. In addition to foreign markets, the brand will try to attract a young audience. Both of these tasks are solved by the Tiangong 05 electric car, which will be called EH5 in foreign markets.
This is not a bold concept, but a fully production car. It does not have a dashboard — its role is played by a projection onto the windshield. The DeepSeek neural network helps you understand voice commands in different dialects of Chinese, adjust climate control, multimedia system, and other functions.
Sinan autonomous driving system with stereoscopic vision technology "Three eyes" sees traffic lights at a distance of 300 m, predicts traffic scenarios and parks independently in narrow spaces. Thanks to the 900-volt system, charging the battery from 10 to 80% will take 12 minutes, and the range will be 850 km.
— In China, for example, the typical buyer of a luxury car is a person about 30 years old. Not 60, as in the UK or Germany, but 30. We need a philosophy that will give the "Hongqi experience" to both a mature, high—status buyer and a younger one - something more dynamic, more daring. This is the challenge: actually dividing the brand into two parts. So if we just give the youth a legacy, they won't understand. It's not enough for Generation Z to just say, "Look, waterfalls, heron wings, spirituality," they need convenience, technology, and instant response, like an iPhone,— Giles Taylor, Hongqi's vice president of design, told Izvestia.
Chinese Rolls-Royce
What you can't take away from Hongqi is its status as China's most famous car brand. Sunflower sub—brand cars are a real "heavy luxury". Meanwhile, the Zeekr brand, whose stand is located opposite, also has leadership ambitions. She brought the "super hybrid" flagship 9x to Shanghai. The SUV's design is obviously inspired by the Rolls-Royce Cullinan, and the chrome grille has been called the largest in the world.
This is the first hybrid of the brand — the power plant consists of a two-liter gasoline engine that charges not only the battery, but also connects to the wheels through a three-stage "automatic". The total power is almost 900 hp. From zero to "hundreds", the 9x accelerates in three seconds and, as promised, is just as fast in charging — you can replenish the battery from 20 to 80% in just six minutes.
BYD also entered the competition for the coolest Chinese car with an extended version of the Yangwang U8L. The wheelbase of the hybrid has been increased by 200 mm to provide comfort for six passengers. The peak power of the power plant is 1180 hp, and the emblems are made of 24-carat gold.
We are waiting for you in Russia
Most likely, these cars will end up in Russia, although both brands are not officially represented here yet. The Deepal brand, which belongs to Changan, will officially enter the Russian market this year.
They will start with the S07 crossover with a hybrid powerplant. The car operates according to a sequential scheme: a 1.5-liter internal combustion engine is installed under the hood of the car, acting as a generator. The crossover is powered by a 238 hp electric motor mounted on the rear axle. The G318 crossover with a brutal design is also planned. These are not the only novelties of Shanghai that are interesting for Russia.
Recycling in Chinese
While electric vehicles are not particularly popular in Russia, and hybrids are only gaining popularity, China remains the dominant market for new energy vehicles (NEV). For comparison, global sales of this type of vehicle reached 1.7 million in March. Europe accounted for 400,000 vehicles, while the United States and Canada accounted for 200,000.
In China, of the 1.94 million passenger cars sold in March, more than half were electric and hybrid — 991 thousand units. Compared to last year, sales increased by 38%. Sales of pure electric trains (BEV) increased the most — to 646 thousand cars, they added 50.6% compared to March last year.
Car sales in China are growing thanks to incentive measures: recycling and exchanging old cars for new ones. A subsidy is offered for the purchase of a NEV more than for a model with an internal combustion engine. By the beginning of April, more than 2.2 million old cars had been delivered. In addition, the market reacted to price competition among local manufacturers and the launch of new models.
As a result, Chinese automakers increased sales by a third (1.22 million), and sales of joint ventures with foreign companies (480 thousand units) decreased by 4% compared to last year. BYD sold the most cars in March — 290 thousand cars (+11.5%), followed by Geely, which showed a noticeable increase of 70.5% (195,000 cars), FAW—Volkswagen, which showed a 7.8% decline in sales compared to last year (130,000 cars), and Chery, in fourth place. (+58.6% or 119 thousand vehicles), and Changan is in fifth place (+7.2% or 111 thousand vehicles).
The Chinese were offered an "Aura"
Due to the increased competition, some foreign car brands decided to skip the auto show, as Hyundai and Kia did, while others are very eager to please Chinese tastes. Audi has come up with a separate line of cars, instead of the traditional four—ring emblem, they have the brand name in capital letters.
The first model of the E5 Sportback is an electric car with a power reserve of 770 km. It is built on an 800-volt platform created by Audi's partner, the Chinese concern SAIC. Volkswagen, as part of the "In China, for China" strategy, presented three concepts of high-tech electric vehicles at once: ID.Era, ID.Evo and ID.Aura.
Other brands, like the American Lincoln or the Japanese Infiniti, decided to show the best they have — large gasoline SUVs. Not everyone dares to break the rules of the game.
A typical Shanghai premiere should not only be a hybrid or electric car, but also a supercomputer on wheels.
Moreover, the semi-autonomous God's Eye driver's assistant, presented by BYD, can be installed on all models from the most affordable Seagull to the luxury Yangwang. After a recent fatal accident involving a Xiaomi electric car with a driver assistance system turned on, automakers carefully talk about the level of autonomy of their cars. Yandex, the only Russian participant in the auto show, also decided to participate in the automotive technology review and showed the new multimedia platform Yandex Auto with Alice at its stand.
Are you ready to fly
However, Chinese companies are already looking up — every self-respecting automaker has brought a flying car concept to Shanghai. All of them are designed according to the eVTOL principle — with vertical takeoff and landing.
It's not just flying cars, artificial intelligence, and robots that occupy the minds of automakers. A strange trend at the Shanghai exhibition is the fashion for pink fur draped over cars. Strange only at first glance. In order not to disappear into the ocean of bright novelties, you have to use non-standard moves.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
