Chinese EVs steal show at Munich fair

New e-car models unveiled in Europe as green mobility push on full charge

Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers are stealing the limelight at the IAA Mobility 2023 in Munich in their bid to expand in Europe, a continent that will ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars from 2035.

EV companies such as BYD, Leapmotor, XPeng and car battery giant CATL have dazzled visitors with their latest products at IAA Mobility, inaugurated by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday afternoon despite an injury he suffered while jogging on Saturday.

BYD, with its founder Wang Chuanfu attending, unveiled six all-electric sedan and SUV models, including the European premiere of the SEAL U, under the motto "We are building the green mobility dream together".

"Europe is a strategic market for BYD," said Michael Shu, general manager and managing director of BYD Europe. "BYD supports the region for electrification to create a green and sustainable future."

Since selling its full-electric vehicles in Europe last October, BYD has entered 15 European countries in 11 months, registering a good record, according to Shu.

Leapmotor, another Chinese EV maker based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, had the world premiere of its all-electric C10 midsize SUV at the show.

Wu Baojun, co-founder and president of Leapmotor, said the company chose Europe to launch the model and announce its global strategy because Europe has been leading the way in achieving carbon neutrality and improving environmental protection. "That is also the goal of Leapmotor," he said.

Wu expressed the hope that the products by Leapmotor and other Chinese companies would gain recognition at the show since Germany is well known for its high standards for technology and products.

"We hope to use this opportunity to go global," he said of the IAA Mobility, known as Frankfurt Motor Show before 2021.

According to auto consultancy Inovev, 8 percent of the new EVs sold in Europe so far this year were made by Chinese brands, compared to 6 percent last year and 4 percent in 2021.

At the show, CATL announced it would produce its new fast-charging lithium iron phosphate battery in Germany and Hungary in addition to China.

The Shenxing battery will be mass-produced in China from late 2023 and available in electric vehicles from 2024. With the battery, EVs should be able to travel 400 kilometers on a 10-minute charge, and a full charge would give a range of 700 km, according to company chief engineer Gao Pengfei.

The number of Chinese companies coming to the IAA Mobility 2023, from Sept 5-10, has more than doubled. Asia represents 41 percent of the participants this year.

US carmaker Tesla returned to the IAA for the first time since 2013.

Drawing attention

Meanwhile, the 5th World New Energy Vehicle Congress, an annual global conference on electric mobility, will be held for the first time outside China at the IAA Mobility on Wednesday.

"I am so glad that IAA has drawn much attention in China. We value the Chinese market, hope to increase exchange with China, and hope to learn more about the Chinese market," said Tim Benedict Wegner, head of marketing and communications of IAA Mobility 2023.

Jurgen Mindel, managing director of the German Association of the Automotive Industry, the organizer of the show, was glad to see the record number of Chinese participants and said he hopes it will continue to grow in the future.

"The German auto companies all have their blueprint for the Chinese market," said Mindel, who visited the Auto Shanghai in April.

"We have competition, but we work together to develop a new future. This is my hope today."

"We believe the China car market will continue to grow," said Graciana Petersen, senior vice-president for corporate strategy and transformation at ZF Group, a global technology company supplying systems for cars and industrial technology. "We are aware that the Chinese automotive industry is very strong … And we are ready to grow together."