New Cars from China (January 2025)

Parallel world

Every now and then, we want to take a look at China. After all, 22.6 million new cars were sold there last year, 3.1 per cent more than in the previous year (Europe: 12.96 million, up 0.9 per cent – USA 15.66 million, up 2.5 per cent). What is interesting here, among other things, is that Chinese manufacturers in their home country sold almost 18 million units, an increase of more than 23 per cent over the previous year. This also means that a parallel world of cars is developing in China, with a large proportion of the vehicles sold there unknown in Europe. Okay, so you won’t really miss some of these Chinese contraptions. On the other hand, the Chinese keep their best material to themselves. This overview does not claim to be complete.

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Avatr 06

Avatr is known for its extraordinary design, but does not want to sell its models in Europe for the time being. With the 06, a mid-size sedan is now also coming, purely electric (up to 590 hp) or with a range extender (with up to 240 kilometres of purely electric range). The cockpit has five screens.

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BYD Han L

The Han L will be BYD’s new top-of-the-range model, with up to 1085 hp and a completely new generation of electric motors that can manage up to 30,000 rpm. Of course, this model will feature the latest technology, such as a 945-volt architecture, can be charged with 600 kW (10 minutes from 15 to 80 per cent SoC) and should have a range of more than 1000 kilometres. Oh yes, BYD sold 4.27 million passenger cars last year, up 41 per cent on the previous year.

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Denza N9

A huge SUV, 5.26 metres long, with a wheelbase of 3.13 metres. It comes as a plug-in hybrid with over 900 hp and more than 200 kilometres of purely electric range – and of course it is purely electric. However, there is still no information on the size of the battery and consequently on the range. Denza is a subsidiary of BYD.

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Exlantix ET

Exlantix is a brand of Chery (which also has a history in Europe), and the ET was voted Chinese car of the year. The 4.95-metre-long vehicle is available with a range of different drive systems. The pure-electric ET is available with up to 562 hp, while the 462-hp PHEV with a range extender claims a range of over 1,500 kilometres.

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Huawei Maextro S800

And who has the biggest now? At 5.48 metres long, the Maxtro S800 is still 1.1 centimetres longer than the Maybach – and with 856 pure electric horsepower or 1006 horses as an EREV (i.e. a plug-in hybrid with a range extender, very fashionable in China). Incidentally, the thing automatically finds a charging station and can even charge itself using a robotic arm. Huawei is also one of the largest mobile phone manufacturers in the world – and has now bundled its automotive activities into the Hima Group. In addition to Maxtro (with JAC), this also includes Luxeed (with Chery), Aito and Stelato (with BAIC).

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Xiaomi YU7

Xiaomi, one of the most successful mobile phone manufacturers in China, has only been building cars since last year – and the SU7 seems to be a huge success. The current possible capacity of 20,000 vehicles per month is being snatched from the hands of dealers. Now a second model is coming, the YU7, apparently an SUV, almost exactly five metres long. The YU7 is also purely electric, with the most powerful version coming in at a good 700 hp, and a maximum range of 760 kilometres. However, it should be noted that Chinese specifications (according to CLTC) are sometimes a little too optimistic.

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This is just a small selection from the month of January. Much of the information cannot be verified with any degree of accuracy. It would be better not to write anything about the prices at this point.