Chinese electric vehicles are collectively "running wild" in Germany.
Chinese automakers have learned to turn the tables.
As a biennial global top - tier auto show held in Europe, the Munich Auto Show is regarded as a home - court advantage by many European automakers. Major European automakers such as Mercedes - Benz, BMW Group, and Volkswagen Group have all released significant new products.
However, this year's Munich Auto Show is quite different from previous ones. The presence of Chinese automakers is more obvious than ever. At this Munich Auto Show, there are 116 exhibitors from China, making China the second - largest participating country after the host, Germany. This is a record - breaking figure.
If we only consider automakers, among the 29 participating automobile manufacturers this year, 14 are from China, while only 10 are from the European camp.
Moreover, a group of Chinese suppliers such as Horizon Robotics, CATL, and Momenta have also come together to bring some shocks of the "Tier 1 in the new energy era" to their European friends.
As a result, there has been an unprecedented collision between Chinese and European enterprises at this Munich Auto Show.
However, European automotive giants are in a self - conflicting and dramatic situation. On one hand, they can't hold back. For example, new electric models such as the BMW iX3 and the Mercedes - Benz GLC EV have been pre - exposed in an attempt to show that they will still be the leaders in the "electrification" future.
On the other hand, these giants are "going against the grain" at press conferences, stating that achieving 100% electric vehicle sales in the European market by 2035 is "unrealistic" and warning the EU not to insist on a total ban on internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035.
In contrast, Chinese automakers have turned the Munich Auto Show into a stage for Chinese cars to go global. For example, the new XPeng P7 made its first appearance in Europe, the new Leapmotor Lafa 5 had its global premiere, and BYD also announced that it will open more than 1,000 stores in Europe by the end of this year.
In this smokeless competition, Chinese brands are charging forward at an accelerating pace.
01 Setting Sail for Europe
As a rising star among Chinese new - energy automakers and with the inherent advantage of cooperation with the Stellantis Group, Leapmotor chose to have the global premiere of its new personalized strategic compact car, Lafa 5, at the Munich Auto Show.
Since it is a compact car and its premiere is in the European market, Leapmotor's intention is not hard to guess. At the same time, the Leapmotor B10 was officially launched in the overseas market and European deliveries began simultaneously, with a price of about 30,000 euros.
Zhu Jiangming, the founder of Leapmotor, revealed on - site that with the resource system of Stellantis Group, the world's fifth - largest automaker and its European shareholder, Leapmotor has completed business layouts in more than 30 countries and regions, with sales and service outlets exceeding 1,700. From January to August this year, Leapmotor delivered more than 30,000 vehicles in the overseas market in total.
Previously, Zhu Jiangming said that Leapmotor's target for overseas sales this year is 50,000 - 80,000 vehicles, but it will definitely not be the end. Just as He Xiaopeng said at the Munich Auto Show, "I will come to Germany every year from now on. I believe that more Chinese enterprises will go global in the future."
At this auto show, XPeng Motors brought its essence as an AI technology company. The highlights were the new XPeng P7 and a humanoid robot. Two SUVs, the G6 and G9, and the X9 MPV also made their first appearances in Europe. At the same time, XPeng also brought the P7+ and exhibited a series of technologies such as a flying car, a land - based aircraft carrier model, and the SEPA Fuyao architecture.
In addition to product displays, He Xiaopeng, the chairman of XPeng Motors, also announced that XPeng will set up its ninth global R & D center in Munich, which is also its first R & D base in Europe.
BYD, a leading domestic automaker, didn't choose to showcase any blockbuster models. However, it still presented multiple models, including the Seal Wagon, Seal U DM - i, Dolphin Surf, Yuan UP, Sea Lion 7, and Denza Z9GT. The "Megawatt Flash Charging" technology, which was launched in China in March this year and claims to "charge for 400 kilometers in 5 minutes", also gave quite a shock to the foreign visitors at the Munich Auto Show.
BYD focused on substantial overseas layouts this time. The BYD factory in Hungary will start production within this year, with the first model being the Dolphin Surf. The factory in Turkey is planned to start production in 2026.
Li Ke, the executive vice - president of BYD, said that three to four new plug - in hybrid models will be launched in the next six months. It is expected that the sales of these models in Europe will soon exceed that of pure - electric models and dominate the market in one or two years. The high - end brand Yangwang also plans to enter Europe in 2027. Additionally, BYD plans to open more than 1,000 stores in Europe by the end of this year and more than 2,000 stores by the end of 2026.
An overseas top - tier auto show can't be without Chery, the most successful Chinese automaker in going global. This time, it participated in the form of an overseas sub - team, presenting its two brands, Omoda and Jaecoo. Jaecoo confirmed that its first model, the Jaecoo 7 plug - in hybrid, will be launched in Germany first. The Omoda brand also plans to start sales in the German market simultaneously, becoming the vanguard of Chery's entry into Europe.
In addition, Changan Automobile brought its two brands, Deepal and Avatr, to the Munich Auto Show. The Deepal S05 made its European premiere, and the Deepal S07 announced its price and officially entered the European market. Star models under GAC's Hyper, Trumpchi, and Aion brands were all on display. The second - generation AION V announced its entry into the European market. The overseas model EHS5 of Hongqi also appeared in Europe and is planned to be launched in the Danish market in the fourth quarter.
The Chinese contingent, showing off their strength and ambition, is not only about new cars coming to Europe. Chinese Tier 1 suppliers also put on a collective show at the Munich Auto Show.
For example, CATL released the Shenxing Pro battery. This is the first lithium - iron - phosphate power battery product equipped with NP3.0 technology, which ensures the safety that the overall power battery can continue to work even if a single cell has a problem.
Other power battery enterprises such as Gotion High - Tech, CALB, and EVE Energy also participated in the auto show. Some of them released new products, while others had plans to build factories in Europe.
Enterprises in the fields of autonomous driving software, chips, lidar, and L4 autonomous driving also flocked to the Munich Auto Show, such as Horizon Robotics, Black Sesame Technologies, DJI Automotive, Momenta, and WeRide.
Moreover, these enterprises generally have a dual identity. They are not only Chinese suppliers but also partners in in - depth cooperation with European giants. For example, Mercedes - Benz, BMW, etc., have reached in - depth strategic cooperation with the domestic autonomous driving company Momenta, and Volkswagen has also reached in - depth cooperation with Horizon Robotics.
02 The Dramatic Dual Sides of European Giants
With the fierce momentum of Chinese brands, European local brands, fighting on their home - court, are not willing to be outdone. European giants such as Mercedes - Benz, BMW, and Volkswagen have also launched their main models at this auto show to compete with mainstream domestic products.
However, whether it is to "avoid the sharp edge temporarily" or "not to meet the opponent face - to - face", these European giants have chosen to reveal their cards ahead of the auto show.
BMW's first mass - produced model of the Neue Klasse, BMW iX3, had its global premiere ahead of the auto show. It is built on a new intelligent platform and is equipped with innovative technologies such as the panoramic iDrive, a super - intelligent driving control system, large - cylindrical batteries, and an 800V high - voltage platform. The Chinese version of the iX3, which is tailored to the Chinese market, will also be officially unveiled within this year and is planned to go into mass production in 2026. It will use the customized large - language model technology jointly developed with Alibaba, with a CLTC range of over 900 kilometers.
As the "most forward - looking" strategic project in BMW's history, it has elevated the levels of intelligence, assisted driving, battery technology, and design concepts to a whole new height.
Mercedes - Benz also took the lead by releasing the all - electric version of its best - selling model, the GLC. The new all - electric GLC EV, as a model built on the new MB.EA all - electric platform, shoulders the mission of Mercedes - Benz's "dual - track strategy for gasoline and electric vehicles".
Compared with the current fuel - powered version, the new car has completely new exterior and interior designs and body dimensions. In particular, it features a new grille with 942 light sources, a 39.1 - inch largest - ever integrated screen, and the same chassis technology as the S - Class sedan.
It is also equipped with the fourth - generation MBUX intelligent human - machine interaction system, uses an 800V electrical architecture, and has a maximum WLTP range of 713 kilometers. According to the plan, the long - wheelbase version produced by Beijing Benz will be launched in 2026, and the first 6 - seat model will be introduced. It will also be equipped with technologies such as urban and highway pilot - assisted driving and the Doubao AI large - language model to enhance its intelligence level.
The Volkswagen brand brought the electric successor to the classic compact car Polo, ID.Polo. The new car's exterior design is derived from the previous concept car and is built on Volkswagen's new MEB Entry platform. It is planned to make its debut in May 2026 and be launched in the autumn of the same year. The high - performance version, ID.Polo GTI, will arrive at the end of 2026.
The Audi brand launched a new concept car, Concept C, which is positioned as a pure - electric two - seat convertible sports car. The mass - produced version will be released in 2027, and it is claimed that there will be almost no difference between the mass - produced version and the concept car, except for the addition of door handles, sensors, and some minor adjustments.
It is worth noting that although European automotive giants are showing off their latest electric models under the spotlight, demonstrating the infinite possibilities of the "electric future", they then take to the podium to express their reluctance to part with fuel - powered cars.
Ahead of the auto show, BMW Chairman Oliver Zipse said in an interview that the EU's plan to ban the sale of internal combustion engines by 2035 is a "major mistake". Ola Källenius, the CEO of Mercedes - Benz, also warned that there would be "huge risks" if Europe insists on "weakening Europe's largest industry".
Moreover, the leaders of Volkswagen and Stellantis also said that achieving 100% electric vehicle sales in the European market by 2035 is "unrealistic".
Oliver Blume, the CEO of Volkswagen Group, was even more straightforward, saying, "The feast that Volkswagen and the entire European automotive industry have enjoyed for decades in its current form is over."
At first glance, it seems that they are calling for respect for the reality of the "weak demand for industry electrification". In fact, it is the traditional giants trying to buy some breathing time for their backward electrification. On one hand, they want to embrace the electrification trend, and on the other hand, they are worried about losing the protection of fuel - powered cars and being left far behind by China.
As Oliver Blume, the CEO of Volkswagen Group, said, "No one can monopolize the future." However, the fact proves that Chinese cars have already grabbed the ticket for the next round.