SHANGHAI – The motor shows are perhaps not over yet. At least judging by the crowd of national and international journalists, operators, dealers, entrepreneurs and insiders from all over the world who enlivened the first day of the Shanghai Motor Show, the first major world car event after the years of the pandemic and the related restrictions.
It is clear that it remains to be seen what will happen in the coming months in the events scheduled in more ‘mature’ markets such as Europe and North America. But the feeling one gets wandering around the 360,000 square meters and enormous halls of the National Exhibition and Convention Center of Shanghai on the Blue River is that the Exhibition as a meeting point (finally in presence) to exchange ideas, make agreements, prepare alliances, study models and attract the general public of future buyers is back.
At least in China where the market is always effervescent (in 2022 sales came close to 27 million cars, double the 13.8 in the USA). And devoted to the electric, as evidenced by the cars and the large stand of Clast, the largest (Chinese) manufacturer of automotive batteries in the world with about 33% of the market.
Obviously the presence of Chinese brands is huge, many of which are ready to land in Europe and Italy, such as Chery with the Omoda brands and the brand new Jaecoo presented in Shanghai. And many electric models with shapes and names to make your head spin, most of which will never reach us. However, the importance of this show is also demonstrated by the massive presence of European brands, led by Maserati which presented the 100% electric Grecale Folgore medium luxury SUV here, Porsche which unveiled the ‘new’ Cayenne, a restyling of the sporty SUV of the German House and Mercedes with the Maybach Eqs Suv (in addition to the Smart #3 at 50% with Geely).
And, despite the geopolitical tensions with Washington, the Chinese market proves to be indispensable also for American brands: in fact, Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, Lincoln and Ford (which presented the new 100% electric Explorer) have their stands, as well as the Harley Davidson, which together with Ducati (highly appreciated in China) and Honda has created a two-wheeled enclave in the Auto Show. And to conclude this sort of four-wheeled UN, there is no shortage of Japanese brands, such as Nissan with, among other things, the 100% electric Max-One super spider concept and the Korean Hyundai.
But what was striking were the presence of over a thousand exhibitors and the strong presence of all over the world and above all the evident interest of the Chinese for the automotive industry: the press conferences of the various models at their first outing were very crowded and many journalists and many Chinese journalists enlivened the event all day by doing internet live broadcasts, many of which, as could be seen on the support videos, with more than a million, a million and a half spectators curious to see the latest news for the first time. Maybe waiting to see them live. The organizers are betting that the million visitors recorded in 2019, the year before Covid, will be largely beaten. And the premises are all there.