Auto companies stage new-car extravaganza

About 1,600 of the latest models unveiled to enthusiasts, buyers and media in Chengdu

Carmakers are showcasing their latest models at the ongoing Chengdu Motor Show as they vie for customers in China's automotive market, the largest in the world.

The event, which lasts to Sept 4, is the first major Chinese auto show held as scheduled at a brick-and-mortar venue this year, allowing car aficionados and potential customers to examine the models on the spot.

A total of 128 Chinese and international brands are showcasing about 1,600 models at the show. The booth areas combined reach more than 200,000 square meters, said Hannover Milano Fairs Shanghai, one of the event's co-organizers.

Mercedes-Benz is presenting its stellar lineup of 26 models. One of the highlights is the EQE sedan, which was launched online two days ahead of the show.

The German carmaker said the EQE is its first China-produced electric model based on its cutting-edge modular electric vehicle architecture.

The 4,969-millimeter long sedan has a wheelbase of 3,120 mm. The coupe-like styling and the arch-shaped design achieve an aerodynamic drag coefficient as low as 0.22.

It sprints from 0-100 kilometers per hour in 6.7 seconds and has a maximum range of 752 km on one charge.

FAW Audi launched its flagship A8L sedan on the first day of the show, vowing to reshuffle its segment.

The model adopts its latest family design language, featuring a hexagonal grille.

The sedan sports a 3.0-liter or 4.0-liter turbocharged engine depending on its variants, coupled with ZF's new 8-speed automatic transmission and the marque's signature quattro all-wheel-drive system.

Among the volume brands, FAW Toyota launched a 2.0-liter turbocharged Crown Kluger SUV at the show.

Nissan's Chinese joint venture Dongfeng Nissan unveiled its electric Ariya SUV, a major step of its inroads into China's booming electric car market.

The Ariya has a maximum output of 178 kilowatts and a top torque of 300 Newton meters. It has a China light-duty vehicle test cycle range of 623 km on one charge.

Dongfeng Nissan also presented a facelifted Altima at the Chengdu auto show.

The mid-sized sedan is one of Nissan's most popular models in China. Its sales reached a record high of 90,510 units in the first seven months this year, up 15 percent year-on-year.

Chinese brands are wowing audiences with more diverse lineups.

BYD－China's largest new energy vehicle maker－is presenting new models, which include the Frigate 07 hybrid SUV; the Seal electric sedan, built on its newest e3.0 platform; and the four-wheel-drive hybrid Tang DM-p SUV.

At the booth of Chinese startup Li Auto, the newly launched L9 large SUV takes center stage.

BAIC's premium electric arm, Arcfox, made the national debut of the Petit Prince edition of its Alpha S sedan.

This is also the first time for Great Wall Motors' SAR brand to appear at the Chengdu auto show. It launched its first high-performance sedan, whose name translates as Mecha Dragon.

Meanwhile, startup Leapmotor debuted its electric C01 sedan. GAC Aion, an electric car subsidiary of GAC Group, launched its Aion V Plus SUV.

Besides showing their latest models, carmakers and the event's organizers are holding promotional activities including test-drives and cashback lotteries to spur vehicle sales.

"Together with the policies for halving the purchase tax and other subsidies, new vitality will be injected into consumption, greatly benefiting the consumers and comprehensively promoting the recovery of the auto consumption market," said Hannover Milano Fairs Shanghai in a statement.

China has halved the purchase tax of most gasoline vehicle models. This is expected to increase sales by 2 million by the end of this year, said Cui Dongshu, secretary-general of the China Passenger Car Association.

Earlier this month, the State Council said the purchase tax-exemption policy, which was scheduled to end this year, will be extended to the end of 2023.

Auto sales from January to July totaled 14.48 million units, down 2 percent compared with same period last year, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. This was primarily the result of COVID-19-related disruptions.

But passenger vehicles have bucked the downward spiral. In the first seven months, their combined sales totaled 12.53 million, up 8.3 percent year-on-year.

The CAAM said that as passenger vehicle demand is rising fast, the overall industry's sales from January to August combined are expected to see positive growth compared with the same period of 2021.