The worldās biggest car show is underway in Shanghai. With the global pandemic mainly behind us, the Shanghai auto show in 2023 has shaped out to be one of the most progressive showcases of new and upcoming EVs.
Here are The Drivenās top picks of the upcoming EVs that were on display in Shanghai this time around.
Polestar 4
SUVs are all the rage and Swedish EV car maker Polestar delivered its own version of the SUV with the unveiling of the Ā Polestar 4 that gathered plenty of interest from the local and international media.
Debuting at the Shanghai auto show as the āFastest Polestar production car to dateā, the sleek all-electric SUV in the dual-motor spec with 400 kW of power can sprint from 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds.
Both the single and dual-motor versions are fed by a 102 kWh battery pack which can deliver up to 560 km of range when paired with the single-motor powertrain.
Up to 200 kW of fast-charging is also on offer which is a step up from already quick-charging capabilities of the Polestar 2.
It also has one major party trick: It is replacing the rear window with a camera display inside the car.Ā
At the debut, the Polestar CEO, Thomas Ingenlath, spoke of the significance of this EV:
āPolestar 4 is not simply a modified version of our first SUV. Instead, we reconsidered the entire design to create a new breed of SUV coupĆ©ā.
Pricing of Polestar 4 will start at the equivalent of $A76,650. It will be released in the Chinese market closer to the end of 2023 and make it to other global markets like Europe and possibly Australia as well next year.
Zeekr X
Sticking with the SUVs and somewhat related to Polestar is the Zeekr brand and its new Zeekr X EV. Zeekr is a relatively new premium EV brand but is owned by Geely Group which also owns brands like Polestar, Volvo Cars and Lotus.
The Zeekr X is a new stylish all-electric SUV built on Geely Group’s Sustainable Electric Architecture (SEA).Ā
Like the Polestar 4, the Zeekr X is available in both single and dual-motor powertrains. The dual-motor variant can deliver up to 315 kW of power which can get to 100 km/h from a standstill in just 3.7 seconds.
The single-motor variant is a bit slower but still had quite a respectable acceleration to a 100 km/h in 5.8 seconds.
Both powertrains have a 66 kWh battery pack that can deliver over 400 km of WLTP range.
Pricing of the base model starts at $A41,215 while the most expensive version starts at $A45,545.
The Zeekr X will be one of the first EVs under the new brand to make their way to Europe as part of Zeekrās expansion plan to export premium EVs out of China.
Europe is an ideal destination for the Zeekr X given it was designed at Zeekrās development studio in Gothenburg, Sweden
At Shanghai auto show the brand announced that it would enter Europe in Q4 this year with a ādirect-to-consumerā model.Ā
This hints that they wonāt be partnering with an existing European dealership group and is in line with Polestar and Teslaās retail methods in many markets across the world.
Xpeng G6
Xpeng is also an EV-only brand in China that in recent years has launched its popular EVs in European markets. It is also listed on the New York Stock Exchange highlighting the scale of the brand, including its global ambitions.
It debuted its latest SUV offering the Xpeng G6 at the Shanghai auto show. This SUV in size is similar to the very popular Tesla Model Y.Ā
The new G6 is the first model from the brand to be based on its latest 800 Volts EV architecture which can add up to 300 km of range in around 10 minutes. The G6 will be one of the first vehicles from Xpeng to have these capabilities.
The single-motor models of the Xpeng G6 will deliver up to 218 kW while the dual-motor high-performance variant can deliver up to 368 kW of power.
The exact battery sizes were not announced but its expected to be manufactured by CALB at Xpengās manufacturing facility.
Pricing-wise, the new G6 is expected to start at $A43,450 and go all the way up to $A65,170 and is expected to be launched before mid-2023.Ā
More details about the new G6 including exact pricing and specifications will be announced before then. Itās likely that G6 will enter other markets including Europe by next year as well.
Neta GT
Neta GT is quite a unique electric model on show at the Shanghai auto show this year. It had its official launch there and happened to be one of the very few sports electric cars that made it to the show.
The new sports car from Neta will be powered by single and dual-motor powertrains.Ā
The single-motor version can deliver up to 170 kW of power while the dual-motor bumps this up to 340 kW. The dual-motor gets the sports car from 0-100 km/h in just 3.7 seconds.
Neta is offering the GT with various battery options including 64, 74 and 78 kWh capacities. The largest battery can help deliver up to 660 km of CLTC range. That in the real-world will be closer to 450 km of WLTP range.
Revolutionize the way we think about sports cars with technological equity. See what the hype is all about Auto Shanghai 2023 in our recap video!#Neta #netaauto #NetaGT #ShanghaiAutoShow pic.twitter.com/kAgRqeVqI6
— Neta Auto (@netaautoglobal) April 21, 2023
Neta launched the GT on the first day of the Shanghai auto show last week with prices starting at the equivalent of $A38,825 and going up to $A49,460.
Deliveries of the new GT are expected to start by June this year. Neta currently sells cars in Thailand that like Australia are delivered with right-hand-drive variants. This could be a brand to look out for in our local market in the coming years.
BYD Seagull
What many are waiting for in Australia is an affordable city electric car and we got a glimpse of just that at the Shanghai auto show.Ā
It came in the form of the BYD Seagull which starts at the equivalent of $A17,100 and goes up to $A20,790.
The new city electric car is powered by a single-motor drivetrain that can deliver up to 55 kW of power. This is powered by two battery options.
A standard 30 kWh battery delivers up to 305 km of CLTC range while the larger 39 kWh pack will offer 100 more km of range, sitting around 405 km of CLTC range. In the real world, over 200 km of range is expected.
The new BYD Seagull will officially go on sale in the coming days according to BYDās Weibo social media page with customer deliveries to follow shortly after that.
BYD received over 10,000 pre-sale orders in the first 24 hours of the pre-sales starting. That goes to show the popularity of its newest and most affordable model.
Demand for affordable EVs like the BYD Seagull is huge globally. While most traditional car makers struggle to bring compelling EVs to market, brands like BYD are launching new more compelling models on a 6 monthly cycle.
With expansion plans for the brand well underway, weād be seeing more BYD EVs on Australian roads in the coming months.
The biggest year for EVs so far
Shanghai auto show has by far been the biggest display of new and upcoming EV models.
Tesla is one of the biggest brands that didnāt represent this time around but could possibly make an appearance at the next one with the Cybertruck and other new products in its lineup.
Electric SUVs were everywhere along with up-and-coming sports and affordable city cars.
Many of these are designed for the global market which means some could end up here in Australia to help further accelerate EV uptake.Ā
RizĀ is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.