Chinesische Elektromobile machen sich gemeinsam auf den Weg nach Deutschland, um dort ihr Unwesen zu treiben.
Chinese automobile manufacturers have learned to take on the role of host.
As the world's leading automobile exhibition held biennially in Europe, the Munich Auto Show is regarded by many European automobile manufacturers as a home game. Leading European automobile groups such as Mercedes - Benz, BMW, and Volkswagen have all presented important new developments.
However, a new picture emerged at this year's Munich Auto Show. The presence of Chinese automobile manufacturers has never been as prominent as it is now. There were even 116 exhibitors from China at this year's show, making China the second - most common exhibiting country after Germany. This is a record high.
If we only look at automobile manufacturers, out of the 29 exhibiting automobile manufacturers this year, 14 were Chinese companies, while only 10 were European.
In addition, Chinese suppliers such as Horizon Robotics, CATL, and Momenta were also present. They wanted to give the Europeans a taste of the "Tier 1 of the new energy era".
For this reason, there was an unprecedented encounter between Chinese and European companies at the Munich Auto Show.
However, the European automobile giants found themselves in a dramatic situation. On the one hand, they were impatient. New electric models such as the BMW iX3 and the Mercedes - Benz GLC EV were presented ahead of schedule to show that they would still be the major players in the "era of electric mobility".
On the other hand, these giants made contradictory statements at press conferences. They say it is "unrealistic" to achieve 100% electric mobility in Europe by 2035. They warn the EU against completely banning the sale of combustion engines by 2035.
In contrast, Chinese automobile manufacturers have turned the Munich Auto Show into a stage for their global market expansion. For example, the new XPeng P7 was presented in Europe for the first time, the new Lingpao Lafa 5 had its world premiere, and BYD announced that it wants to open over 1,000 branches in Europe by the end of the year.
In this fierce battle, Chinese brands are advancing at an accelerated pace.
01 Heading for Europe
As one of the new top Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers and thanks to its cooperation with the Stellantis Group, Lingpao decided to present its new individual small car Lafa 5 globally at the Munich Auto Show.
Since it is a small car and its world premiere is in Europe, Lingpao's intention is not hard to guess. At the same time, the Lingpao B10 was officially introduced overseas and deliveries in Europe have started. The price is around 30,000 euros.
Zhu Jiangming, the founder of Lingpao, said on - site that thanks to the resources of its European partner, the world's fifth - largest automobile group Stellantis, Lingpao has expanded its business to over 30 countries and regions. The number of sales and service points has exceeded 1,700. From January to August this year, over 30,000 Lingpao vehicles were delivered globally.
Zhu Jiangming had previously said that the goal for Lingpao vehicle exports this year should be between 50,000 and 80,000 vehicles. However, this is by no means the end. As He Xiaopeng said at the Munich show: "I will come to Germany every year. I believe that more Chinese companies will take the global stage in the future."
XPeng showed its strengths as an AI technology company at the show. The focus was on the new XPeng P7 and a humanoid robot. The SUV models G6 and G9 as well as the X9 MPV were presented in Europe for the first time. In addition, the P7+ was also presented, and technologies such as a flying car, a tank model, and the SEPA - Fuoyao architecture were exhibited.
In addition to product presentations, XPeng's CEO He Xiaopeng also announced the establishment of a ninth global research center in Munich. This is also the first research institute in Europe.
BYD, the Chinese market leader, did not present any spectacular models. Nevertheless, many vehicles were on display, including the Seal Touring, the Seal U DM - i, the Dolphin Surfer, the Yuan UP, the Sea Lion 7, and the Denza Z9GT. The "Megawatt fast - charging technology" presented in China in March, which claims to be able to charge 400 kilometers of range in five minutes, also impressed the Europeans.
BYD has focused on concrete international expansion. The BYD factory in Hungary will go into operation this year, and the first model will be the Dolphin Surfer. The factory in Turkey is expected to be put into operation in 2026.
Li Ke, BYD's deputy CEO, announced that three to four plug - in hybrid models will be presented in the next six months. It is expected that these models will soon exceed the pure electric models in sales volume in Europe and will dominate the market in one to two years. The luxury brand Yangwang also plans to enter the European market in 2027. In addition, BYD plans to open over 1,000 branches in Europe by the end of the year and to have more than 2,000 branches by the end of 2026.
Of course, Chery, the most successful Chinese automobile brand on the global market, cannot be absent from a world - class automobile show. This time, Chery participated with its two brands Omoda and Jaecoo. The first model of the Jaecoo brand, the Jaecoo 7 Plug - in Hybrid, will be introduced in Germany first. The Omoda brand also plans to enter the German market and will thus be at the forefront of Chery's attack on Europe.
In addition, Changan was represented by its two brands Shenlan and Avita at the Munich Auto Show. The Shenlan S05 had its European premiere, and the Shenlan S07 announced its price and thus entered the European market. The star models of GAC's brands Hyper, Trumpchi, and Aion were also present. The second AION V announced that it will come to Europe. The export model of Hongqi, the EHS5, was also presented in Europe and is to be introduced in the Danish market in the fourth quarter.
The Chinese group, which shows its strength and ambition, has not only brought new vehicles to Europe. The Chinese Tier 1 suppliers also showed up at the Munich Auto Show.
For example, CATL presented the Shenxing Pro battery. This is the first lithium - iron - phosphate battery product with NP3.0 technology. Even if a single battery is defective, it has no impact on the safety of the entire battery system.
Other battery companies such as Gotion High - Tech, CALB, and EVE Energy were also present. Either they presented new products or they have plans to build factories in Europe.
Companies in the fields of driver assistance systems, chips, lidar, and L4 - level autonomous driving were also present at the show, such as Horizon Robotics, Black Sesame Technologies, DJI Automotive, Momenta, and WeRide.
Most of these companies have two roles: They are not only Chinese suppliers but also close partners of European giants such as Mercedes - Benz and BMW. For example, Mercedes - Benz and BMW have entered into a close strategic partnership with the Chinese driver assistance company Momenta, and Volkswagen has also established a close partnership with Horizon Robotics.
02 The Dramatic Europeans
Chinese brands are coming on strong. However, European domestic brands are not giving up easily. European giants such as Mercedes - Benz, BMW, and Volkswagen showed their heavyweights at the show to keep up with the Chinese market leaders.
Whether it is a strategy to avoid the Chinese market leaders or to avoid a "king - meets - king" situation, these Europeans decided to show their cards before the show.
The first mass - production model of the new BMW era, the BMW iX3, was presented globally before the show. It is based on a new intelligent platform and is equipped with innovative technologies such as a Panoram - iDrive, a super - brain for driving control, large cylindrical batteries, and an 800 - V high - voltage platform. The Chinese version of the iX3, which is tailored to the Chinese market, will also be presented this year and is expected to go into production in 2026. It will use a large language model technology jointly developed by BMW and Alibaba and will have a range of over 900 kilometers in the CLTC cycle.
As the "most forward - looking strategic project in BMW's history", a new level has been reached in terms of intelligence, driver assistance, battery technology, and design concept.
Mercedes - Benz also took the lead and presented the electric version of the successful GLC model, the new pure - electric GLC EV. As a vehicle based on the new MB.EA electric platform, the new GLC carries the mission of Mercedes - Benz's "parallel development of electric mobility and combustion engines" strategy.
Compared with the combustion version, the design of the vehicle, both inside and outside, has been completely revised. In particular, the new grille with 942 light sources, the 39.1 - inch through - screen, and the same chassis technology as in the S - Class sedan are impressive.
In addition, the new GLC is equipped with the fourth - generation MBUX system and has an 800 - V electrical architecture. It has a maximum range of 713 kilometers in the WLTP cycle. According to the plans, the extended version, which will be produced by Beijing Benz, will enter the market in 2026. There will also be a first six - seater model, and technologies such as driver assistance systems for city and highway driving and a big - data model called Doubao will be used to improve the vehicle's intelligence.
Volkswagen presented the electric successor to the legendary small car Polo, the ID.Polo. The design of the new vehicle is based on an earlier concept car and is developed on Volkswagen's new MEB Entry platform. It is to be presented in May 2026 and enter the market in the autumn of the same year. The high - performance version, the ID.Polo GTI, will follow at the end of 2026.
Audi presented its new concept car Concept C. It is a two - seater pure - electric convertible. The production version is expected to appear in 2027 and, according to Audi, will be almost identical to the concept car except for the door handles and sensors.