Guangzhou Auto Show roundup: BEV debuts from XPeng, ZEEKR, Li Auto, BYD, and more
We’ve been covering several prominent Chinese automakers teasing their latest EV models in the preceding weeks, ahead of the Guangzhou Auto Show. The annual event kicked off in China earlier today and immediately delivered several model debuts. Here’s a quick recap.
Auto Guangzhou is an event held each year in the largest city of southern China by the Guangzhou Zhanlian Exhibition Service Co., Ltd, usually taking place in November or December.
As one of the more popular auto shows in China in a city that’s home to several EV automakers, Auto Guangzhou makes for a wonderful stage to introduce new vehicles and adjacent technologies.
We’ve been covering several announcement from Chinese automakers the past month leading up to today’s event, including debuts from BYD, ZEEKR, and XPeng Motors to name a few. However, we also so some launches we weren’t originally aware of, including the Cyberster roadster from MG.
Here’s the lowdown of some of the BEVs that made their official debut or launch in Guangzhou today.
Lots of fresh EVs present at the Guangzhou Auto Show
Starting with the images above, XPeng Motors showcased its new X9 multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) in its physical form for the first time at the Guangzhou Auto Show. The automaker’s latest model was originally revealed during its annual 1024 Tech Day in October, but this was the public’s first opportunity to see the minivan up close and get inside.
Starting at a price of RMB 388,000 ($53,800), the X9 is now available for pre-order in China for RMB 2,000 ($277) down. The official launch is expected next month ahead of deliveries in January. No word yet on whether this will be another model XPeng sends over to Europe, but we’d expect it to stay in China only, as that’s where the small but growing MPV market is truly relevant.
The imminent launch of the X9 could put some competitive pressure on PHEV manufacturer Li Auto, which debuted its first ever BEV – the Mega – also an MPV, during today’s Auto Show in Guangzhou. Up until today, we had only seen a camouflaged version of the EV driving near the automaker’s headquarters this past September, but attendees got to see the Mega in person today, along with a bold promise from its makers:
We are confident that the Li Mega will be the first choice for families priced above RMB 500,000 yuan. It will be the number one seller in that price range, regardless of energy form, regardless of body style.
Li Auto didn’t share much else about the Mega, other than that it will arrive priced under RMB 600,000 ($83,200). Pre-orders opened today of which Li Auto says it received over 10,000 in the first two hours, according to CnEVPost. The Mega’s official launch will be in December, followed by deliveries slotted for February 2024. Here are some images from Li Auto. Sort of looks like a huge Prius, no?
Another BEV that made its official public debut at day one of the Guangzhou Auto Show, was the ZEEKR 007 – the Chinese automaker’s first-ever sedan. This has been one we’ve been following closely the past two weeks after ZEEKR began teasing silhouetted images.
We’ve gotten glimpses of the exterior and interior since, but today’s reveal was the first full-blown look at the electric sedan inside and out. Like the EVs mentioned above, ZEEKR kicked off 007 pre-orders following the debut, claiming to receive over 5,000 suitors in the first 30-minutes (take that Li Auto).
The sedan starts at RMB 229,900 ($31,900) and will begin deliveries in China in January. As we previously mentioned, the 007 sedan is ZEEKR’s first EV model designed for mass-market appeal, so we’d expect this one to join its 001 and X siblings in the automaker’s newly entered markets of Europe.
Two more debuts that took place during today’s Auto Show in Guangzhou came from BYD and MG Motor. Electrek‘s own Peter Johnson covered the launch of the BYD Sea Lion 07 in detail today, so we recommend checking out his report here to learn more.
Last but not least however, was the Chinese launch of the Cyberster from MG Motor. This is an all-electric roadster we covered years ago when it was announced as a mere concept. Now, the Cyberster hits the Chinese market in three available trims and the capability to accelerate from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 3.2 seconds.
The three trims are called Glamour Edition, Style Edition, and Pioneer Edition, and start at prices of RMB 319,800 ($44,340), RMB 339,800 ($47,115), and RMB 359,800 ($49,900) respectively. Not bad!
That’s all for now, although there is plenty more EV news coming out of the Guangzhou Auto Show today and the rest of the weekend.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
![Lunatic hero builds electric kart with nearly 700 lb-ft of mind-bending TQ [video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/09/kart-madness.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Environment
Many ‘doubted the vision’: Saudi investment minister touts ‘green shoring’ on path to diversification
Khalid Al-Falih, Saudi Arabia’s investment minister, during the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore, on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Saudi Minister of Investment Khalid al-Falih pushed back against skepticism over the country’s economic diversification plan, as Riyadh touts “green shoring” investment opportunities to woo foreign financing.
“There was many people who doubted the vision, the ambition, how broad and deep and comprehensive it is, and whether the development of a country like KSA who is so dependent for so many decades on a commodity business like oil would be able to do what we are aspiring to do with Vision 2030,” al-Falih told CNBC’s Steve Sedgwick on Saturday at the Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio, Italy.
One of the largest economies in the Middle East and a key U.S. ally in the region, Saudi Arabia has been shoring up investments in a bid to materialize Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 economic diversification program, which spans 14 giga-projects, including the Neom industrial complex.
Under this initiative, Riyadh seeks to pivot away from its historical dependence on oil revenues — which the International Monetary Fund now sees rising until 2026, before starting to descend — and hopes to draw financial flows in the domestic economy exceeding $3 trillion, as well as push foreign domestic investment to $100 billion a year by 2030.
The Saudi minister on Saturday said that, eight years into manifesting Vision 2030, the kingdom is now “more committed, more determined” to the program and has already implemented or is about to complete 87% of its targets. Critics of the plan have previously questioned whether Riyadh will successfully deliver on its goals by its stated deadline.
In recent years, the kingdom has been attempting to liberalize its market and improve its business environment with reforms to its investment and labor laws — but has also formulated less popular requirements for companies to set up their regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia to access government contracts.
The number of foreign investment licenses issued in Saudi Arabia nearly doubled in 2023, the IMF noted, with government data pointing to a 5.6% annual increase in net flows of foreign direct investment in the first quarter.
Concerns have nevertheless lingered over the potential uncertainty and unpredictability of the kingdom’s legal framework and its dispute resolution system for foreign investment. Al-Falih insisted that Saudi Arabia boasts predictability, as well as domestic political and economic stability.
‘Green shoring’
The Saudi investment minister said that part of Riyadh’s offering to foreign investors is the Saudi-coined initiative of “green shoring,” which seeks to decarbonize supply chains in areas with renewable energy resources.
“Green shoring is basically saying you need to do more of the high energy processing [and] manufacturing value add in areas where the materials, as well as the energy, are [located],” al-Falih said, adding that Saudi Arabia has the logistics, capital and infrastructure to achieve this.
Under Vision 2030, the world’s largest oil exporter aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060. Along with its neighbor, the United Arab Emirates — which hosted the 2023 gathering of the annual U.N. Conference of the Parties — Riyadh has been a high-profile presence at climate summits, but has still drawn questions over its commitment to decarbonization.
Riyadh — along with other members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries oil alliance — has repeatedly called for the simultaneous use of hydrocarbons and green resources in order to avoid energy shortages throughout the global transition to net-zero emissions.
Some climate activists have also criticized Saudi Arabia’s promotion of solutions like carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies as a smokescreen to push ahead with its lucrative oil business.
As part of “green shoring,” Saudi Arabia sets out to “address global supply chain resilience issues” and “build a new global economy that is certainly moving more electric, as we bring the copper, as we bring the lithium, the cobalt, the other critical materials, rare earth metals, as we address semiconductor shortages, green fertilizers, green chemicals,” al-Falih stressed.
The construction industry’s shift takes another step forward as Volvo CE inaugurates a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility to support the production of electric wheel loaders at its plant in Arvika, Sweden.
The new facility is the latest expansion for the Arvika site, which already manufactures medium and large wheel loaders. The new facility measuring approx. 1,500 sq. m (over 16,000 sq. ft.), and was built in less than a year, following an investment of SEK 65 million ($6.3 million) in 2023.
The expansion is technically an after flow facility, where nearly finished loaders comes off the regular assembly line for completion and testing. This allows Volvo to free up areas inside its existing factory and more readily enable the production of electric wheel loaders alongside more conventional, ICE-powered units.
“This new facility is an inspiration for a future built on sustainable solutions,” explains Melker Jernberg, Head of Volvo CE. “We are proud to be at the forefront of industry change with large-scale investments, not just here in Arvika but around the globe, that support a transformation towards electrification. Together, we are moving closer towards fossil-free machines.”
Volvo is calling the new expansion a first step in electrification for the site, but notes that it’s part of a wider transformation strategy to reduce the company’s internal climate footprint by 350 tons of CO2 through a variety of emission reduction efforts already in progress.
“Action on climate change is nothing new to us here in Arvika, but it is incredibly exciting to see our vision come to life with these new facilities,” says Mikael Liljestrand, General Manager at Arvika. “We now have the framework in place to drive electrification and expand our growing global portfolio of electric wheel loaders. This will have a positive impact on our industry and society as a whole, but it is also a personal journey for each of us here in Arvika who are playing a significant role in building a more sustainable future.”
Electrek’s Take
The improved Volvo production site was given the royal welcome with a visit by Prince Carl Philip, a member of the Swedish royal family, and Duke of Värmland, where the site is located – and remembering that Sweden still has a royal family always trips me out a bit.
That said, one of the biggest obstacles to broader fleet electrification remains availability of electrified assets. A fleet like PITT Ohio that wants to order 100 electric Volvo Trucks might have to wait eighteen months or more, when a comparable diesel order may take six months to fill. The same is true on the equipment side.
More production, and more availability, will mean more fleets giving electric solutions a shot – and that’s what we need.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Volvo CE, via Construction Equipment.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports5 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports10 months agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Environment1 year agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Environment1 year agoTesla advances Powerwall pilot project with German electric company