Attendees at the recent IAA Mobility autoshow bore witness to the growing might of the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) sector.
50 Chinese EV producers, including titans like BYD, made their presence felt at the event which was held in Munich, Germany. The number of Chinese attendees was twice as large as the delegation sent to the last IAA show, and is considered the country’s largest delegation ever for any international motor show.
About 50 companies — including heavyweight BYD and upstarts like Xpeng — have traveled to the city, according to China’s state media, about twice as many as the last time the event was held and the largest-ever Chinese delegation at any global car expo. And they were the talk of the town.
Making a Buzz
Chinese automakers were a hot topic among show attendees well before the motor show kicked off.
Among those who spoke of the work of the Chinese EV sector was Renault CEO Luca de Meo. On a radio interview aired in France, de Meo pointed out that Chinese automakers are among the most competitive in the global EV value chain, going so far as to say that the Chinese were significantly ahead of their Western peers.
De Meo went on to say that catching up with their Chinese counterparts is now one of the biggest challenges facing European automakers.
What Fuelled the Chinese EV Boom?
As of the first quarter of this year, China is now the world’s leading automotive exporter, surpassing longtime auto powerhouse Japan.
Just last month, Chinese passenger car exports were up by 72%, appropriately 25% of which was made up of EVs. Indeed, BYD alone was responsible for exporting over 25,000 vehicles; Tesla’s Chinese production unit was not far behind with 19,465.
