More than 20 million cars were bought in China last year, making it the largest automotive market in the world. With so much money to be made, it’s unsurprising that many carmakers build vehicles specifically for the East Asian market. We run through 10 key China-focused cars that will be on display at the Beijing motor show (April 25 - May 4, 2016).
LeEco LeSEE
LeEco, the tech firm that shares one of its founders with Chinese EV maker Faraday Future, and will work collaboratively with Aston Martin on the upcoming RapidE electric vehicle, is bringing its own Tesla Model S rival to the Beijing motor show; the LeSEE – short for Super Electric Ecosystem. The company revealed the car recently, and will unwrap more details at its official world Premier at the motor show next week.
SenovaOffSpace
Senova, a subsidiary of the Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co (BAIC), will debut itsOffSpace SUV concept at the Beijing motor show. Given that the car has been previewed only in murky preview shots, both its technical and visual details remain little known so far.
IAT SUV
IAT, the Chinese automotive firm established in 2002, will bring its SUV to Beijing this year. Information regarding it remains tightly under wraps, to the effect that even its name isn’t out yet. It is however rumoured to be six metres long. The car sports an angular, almost Origami-like design, reminiscent of the Lexus LF-NX concept.
Geely Emgrand GS
Geely has picked up momentum in the past few years, with its GC9, launched at last year’s Shanghai show, being named China's Car of the Year 2016. The GS (or Boyue as it is known locally) follows the new design language, but this time in the form of an SUV.
The GS was officially launched in the Chinese market in March, but this is its first appearance at a motor show. Engine choices are a 143hp 2.0-litre petrol unit and a 1.8-litre turbo making either 163hp or 184hp. The latter gets a four-wheel drive, but the other versions are front-wheel drive only. Set to be a export model, the GS might make it way to Europe.
Beijing Auto BJ90
Although there's no image for the BJ90, we know for a fact that this car is essentially the Mercedes GL-Class. Beijing Auto is Daimler Benz’s joint venture partner in China and, under the terms of the agreement, it can use the platform and engines of the SUV.
The interior is also heavily dependent on the German original, although the Chinese version has a larger touchscreen and new wood trim. Powertrains are lifted directly from the Mercedes, with a choice of a twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 and a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 coupled to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and Mercedes’ 4Matic system.
Zotye SR8
Another German SUV lookalike, but this time, it’s an all-out clone with no blessing from Porsche. Over the recent years, Zotye has developed a reputation for producing rip-offs, particularly with its SUV range. This year too, it doesn’t disappoint with the near-identical Macan rip-off. Even the interior, bar the steering wheel badge, is difficult to distinguish from the real thing.
Power comes from the Mitsubishi 2.0-litre turbo engine used in the infamous Evoque copy, the Landwind X7. With such blatant IP infringement, Zotye can forget any chance of exports.
BYD Qin EV300
This is the second all-electric car from Warren Buffett’s attack on the electric car industry. While no Tesla, BYD’s first electric car, the e6, has found use as a taxi in many cities around the world, including London. The Qin was originally a plug-in hybrid and repackages the e6’s electric technology into a more practical car for the masses. It has a claimed range of 306km. This car stands a real chance of fulfilling BYD’s long-promised break into Western markets.
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