23-04-2025
- Automotive
- South China Morning Post
No-shows at Shanghai car expo reflect brutal competition in mainland market
At least 15 companies did not show up at this year's
Shanghai Auto Show , adding to evidence that cutthroat competition and rapid consumer movement toward
electric vehicles (EVs) are edging more players out of the world's largest car market.
Advertisement
International marques including Hyundai and Lamborghini as well as Chinese EV start-ups Hozon Auto and Jiyue did not participate in the world's largest auto event, which started on Wednesday. The absences suggest that these companies may be grappling with sharply dropping sales in mainland China or suffering a financial squeeze despite fanfare and enthusiasm around the sector, which is a bright spot in the national economy.
'The auto show is a barometer of the Chinese car market, used by some industry officials to gauge brand awareness and market trends,' said Gao Shen, an independent analyst in Shanghai. 'Brands that miss out will be viewed as underperformers in this mammoth market.'
More than 70 carmakers from 26 countries were expected to show the latest EVs and technologies, such as swappable batteries and digital artificial intelligence (AI)-powered bells and whistles, to an expected 1 million visitors at the show, according to the organiser.
Other carmakers active in the market that did not appear included Kia, Rolls-Royce, Lorinser, Dayun, Genesis, Jaguar Land Rover, Rising, Polestar, Durant Guild and Chevrolet.
Advertisement
Chinese carmakers and supply-chain vendors represent the vanguard of the global EV industry, racing ahead of international giants such as
Volkswagen (VW) and Toyota in developing cars that feature high-performance batteries, sophisticated in-car entertainment systems and
autonomous-driving software , according to David Xu Daquan, the China president of Bosch, the world's largest supplier of car parts.
Car output in China now accounts for more than 30 per cent of the global total, while mainland buyers snap up more than three out of every five EVs sold worldwide, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).
