The massive Shanghai Auto Show in China kicked off on April 19, with only minimal corona restrictions. China is pushing hard for electric cars, and it works; the country has been the largest market for EVs for many years. Chinese car makers are therefore very positive about the future, showing dozens of new cars, new brands, and new technologies. Here are four new Chinese electric cars that debuted on the 2022 Shanghai Auto Show:
Arcfox α-S
ArcFox is an electric-vehicle brand under BAIC. Their cars are manufactured by a joint venture with Canada’s Magna. The Arcfox α-S is a new crossover sedan with a cool and rugged design. The range topping variant is powered by a twin-motor drive train, good for 435 hp and 720 Nm. The motors are mated to a 94 kWh battery pack, good for a 708 km NEDC range‡. The α-S sprints to 100 in just 3.5 seconds. The new ArcFox is equipped with Huawei’s HarmanyOS operating system, which includes lidar technology and 5G connectivity to provide level-3 autonomous driving.
XPeng P5
XPeng is a brand under XPeng Motors, a new EV-maker founded in 2020. The brand is growing fast and is popular among investors in Chinese EV-tech stocks. The XPeng P5 is a slippery crossover sedan with a drag coefficient of 0.223. Power comes from a 211 hp electric motor with a 66 kWh battery, range is 600 km NEDC. The XPeng P5 is equipped with a 32-sensor XPILOT 3.5 automatic driving assistance system. Another interesting feature is the Cinema Mode, which turns the rear compartment into a theater, with a giant roll-down screen coming down from the roof.
IM L7
IM is a new EV brand under Zhiji Motor, a joint venture between SAIC, the city of Shanghai, and the Alibaba Group. The IM L7 is their first car, and probably one of the prettiest Chinese cars ever made. Power comes from a twin motor setup with a combined output of 536 hp and 700 Nm. The IM L7 will do 0-100 in 3.9 seconds. The motors are mated to a CATL 93 kWh high-density battery pack, making for a range of 615 km NEDC. The IM L7 is good for a lot of boom, as it comes with a he sound system with 22 speakers and a 1120W power amplifier.
Zeekr 001
Zeekr is yet another premium EV brand under Geely, set to compete directly with Polestar, which is also owned by Geely. The Zeekr 001 mixes elements of a hatchback and a wagon, making for an interesting design. The Zeekr 001 gets its horses from a twin-motor power train with an output of 543 hp and 700 Nm. This takes the 001 from 0-100 in just 3.8 seconds, making it the fastest-accelerating Geely production car ever. The top end variant comes with a big 100 kWh battery for a 700 km NEDC range. Zeekr will use the Tesla sales model, with internet-only sales.
These were just four of the many new electric cars on the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show, showing a very vibrant and fast moving Chinese EV sector. Many more exciting cars on the way…
‡ The NEDC standard has been replaced by the WLTP standard in Europe, but is still widely used in China.