*This article is reproduced from the autocarweekly WeChat account.
Author: Shu Shu
To enter the Guangzhou Auto Show, you must have a negative nucleic acid test within 48 hours that can be found on your Guangdong health QR code. So, if you want to enter the exhibition hall, please pay attention to this.
Once inside the exhibition hall, the only thing you can say is, “Life is like a game of chess, always new.”
Every November, there are always a few days reserved for the Guangzhou Auto Show, the last carnival of the year for the auto industry. Car companies want to finish this show and double their fourth-quarter sales; whether they can do so depends on their capital strength.
Based on the releases at this year’s show, the most exciting cars are likely to be those from our domestic independent brand, such as the Euler Ballet Cat in Hall 3.2.
Euler is definitely one of the hottest car brands this year, with the motto “for women to make cars”. It is walking sideways on Xiaohongshu and Douyin. Good cat, white cat, lightning cat ─ all seen before, but this year’s show brings us the ballet cat.
It looks like a classic Volkswagen Beetle from last century, with retro styling and special details designed for women, such as the curves on the ballet cat’s body and a cute spoiler on the trunk lid. What caught my eye was its signature pink and white dual-color scheme, reminding me of my own ballet dreams when I was 16, standing beside its fluttering big eyes.
Of course, I won’t be able to dance ballet, even though I can pivot during military training. And this ballet cat, with its extremely retro design, is not a time machine, but a pure electric vehicle. Based on the information currently available, it is expected to use a single-motor layout with a maximum range of 400km or 500km.
If the data are accurate, even I will be waiting for its price to be announced. Also, don’t worry about its appearance patent. It’s definitely an authentic Euler.
When it comes to the pride of Chinese made cars, we cannot forget about BYD. At this year’s Guangzhou Auto Show, BYD brought their new model, the F5. However, F5 is the old name that everyone is used to, and now it has been given an official name – the Destroyer 05. If you are interested, you can go to Hall 4.1 to see BYD’s booth.
Destroyer is a very aggressive term and the Destroyer 05 does indeed have the power to “destroy” other cars in its class. For example, it has a visually appealing exterior design that carries the legacy of the Dynasty series, with added aerodynamic features that give it a more youthful look.
The most important thing is that it features a DM-i hybrid system, which is likely positioned below the Qin PLUS DM-i. This means that it could be a cheaper car than the Qin PLUS, eligible for green license plates, with a fuel consumption as low as 1.58L per 100 km and an overall range of over 1000 km.
I can almost picture the Shanghai roads filled with Destroyer 05s in the future.
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When you enter the hall, you might see Geely, as they are located in Hall 1.1 with a prominent position, showcasing their first model with the Thunder Charge intelligent hybrid system – the StarLX Thunder Charge HEV.
The StarLX Thunder Charge HEV is equipped with the “Heart of China” top 10 engine, the DHE15 hybrid engine, with a thermal efficiency of up to 43.32%, and high-efficiency coverage of nearly 50%. Meanwhile, it has a maximum power of 110 kW and a maximum torque of 225 Nm.
As the world’s first HEV model with the 3-gear electric drive transmission system DHT Pro, it is safe to say that it is the most powerful car of its class with the lowest fuel consumption.
For a long time, I had blind admiration for joint-venture car companies, thinking that they were powerful and up-to-date, enabling them to dominate the market for many years.
Later, I gradually discovered that everyone is a very ordinary car manufacturer, and it is really necessary to see through some things to learn something. Therefore, compared to the new cars of joint-venture car companies in recent auto shows, this Guangzhou Auto Show is very lively –
I thought that Chang’an Ford would bring the Mondeo, I have been waiting for a long time, and wanted to see the new design of the Mondeo that abandoned the Martin face, but unfortunately, I didn’t see it. This time, Chang’an Ford brought a more timely EVOS, which is officially named “Zhui Guang Zhe” in Chinese, with a price of 1.998-2.588 million yuan.
No matter what you think, I have to say “really fragrant” for EVOS. I see hope for Ford’s new sales volume in it.
It must be admitted that Ford did a great job on EVOS. As the first global strategic model that adopts the “Kinetic Aesthetics” design concept, EVOS is more sharp and aggressive in overall design language. When you see the real car, when the liftback tailgate opens, believe me, you will have the impulse to pay the deposit.
The second surprise that EVOS brought me was the large 1.1-meter, 4K resolution central control screen, which adopts the combination of a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel and a 27-inch 4K central control screen. You can hardly see any physical buttons in the car, isn’t this a technology bachelor? The built-in system is also the SYNC 2.0 system, and the operating system and functions have been greatly enriched compared to the previous generation.
In this auto show, Geely Automobile also officially released the OTA of the Geely Galaxy OS vehicle function carried by the Star Yue L, bringing 49 product upgrades worth 2,750 yuan. What is it called when a better student than you works harder? This is it.As Ford’s global strategic model, the power of EVOS should not be underestimated. The entire series is equipped with a 2.0T four-cylinder turbocharged engine, with a maximum power of 175 kW (238 horsepower) and a maximum torque of 376 Nm, matched with an 8-speed automatic transmission. The official announced comprehensive fuel consumption in the working condition is 7.5 L/100 km.
I believe that EVOS has once again revitalized Ford.
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Hall 2.2 is definitely the hall frequently visited by media and teachers because GAC Honda’s Style Pavilion is located here.
Sharing the same chassis, engine, and transmission with the 11th generation Civic, but with a further A-pillar displacement, this car received high acclaim during our test drive, with our driver exclaiming “this is the car with the best driving visibility I have ever driven.” It also has a slightly better interior texture than Civic, especially the BOSE sound system, which could easily surpass those of Honda’s own models.
I am willing to award this year’s “Internal Drive King” to the Style Pavilion.
The question then arises: how will the user group of Dongfeng Honda’s Civic react to this Guangben Style Pavilion car? I can’t wait to find out.
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Next to Hall 2.2 is Hall 2.1, and the most worthy exhibits to be seen are the Jaguar Land Rover booth and the Lincoln booth.
Just a few days ago, I wrote an article about James Bond for Jaguar Land Rover and was still immersed in the irresistible charm of the movie villain. When I arrived at the exhibition, I naturally wanted to appreciate their display cars.
At this year’s Guangzhou Auto Show, Jaguar Land Rover brought all of its products, including the “exquisite luxury” Range Rover family, the “versatile and practical” Discovery family, and the “ultimate performance” Defender family, all of which were quite impressive.##
Jaguar also brings the new F-PACE, which focuses on exterior design upgrades and adds wider seats with massage functions, as well as increased coverage for seat heating and ventilation. In a nutshell, this little jaguar is even more charming.
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On the other side, Lincoln brought a brand new C-class car ZEPHYR to the exhibition, which hasn’t been given a Chinese name yet. The base version alone may cost over 200,000 yuan, which is quite appealing.
In fact, ZEPHYR made its debut as a concept car during the Shanghai Auto Show, and the production version exhibited at the Guangzhou Auto Show is almost the same as the concept version. However, judging from the new car’s posture, it not only has the momentum to compete with Cadillac, but also seems to be aiming higher against Audi A4L, BMW 3 Series, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
ZEPHYR is already open for pre-orders, and I believe there will be many interested buyers attracted by its price during the auto show.
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If I had to give the award for the most hardworking joint venture brand, Volkswagen would undoubtedly be one of the candidates. This time, Volkswagen has over 2,700 square meters of exhibition space in hall 6.1, and all 5 models of the ID series made their debut together in China for the first time. It’s quite a spectacle.
Volkswagen’s ID series has been busy this year, and ID.3, ID.4, and ID.6 have changed people’s impression that Volkswagen has been somewhat lagging behind in the field of electrification. I’ll let you in on a secret: I also seriously considered buying an ID.3 before, but due to the limited bargaining space for car purchases this year, I decided to wait a while.ID.4 is a compact SUV and ID.6 is a bigger model in the ID series. Volkswagen is expected to introduce ID.5 in the future, which reportedly features a coupe SUV element that is currently not available in the ID series. We are looking forward to its arrival.
As a professional translator in the automotive industry, I have to say that “The electric cars made by Volkswagen truly have the look of electric cars + cars.” Of course, as a M4 owner who is loyal to driving pleasure, I only quote his positive comments and do not give any evaluation. Ahahahah.
If you happen to pass by Hall 3.1 like me, don’t miss the MG booth, as the first SUV model using SIGMA architecture in SAIC MG, MG ONE, is on display at this auto show.
In fact, this new car has started pre-sales on the 12th of this month. Due to the epidemic and other reasons, the MG ONE is divided into two series. The ONE-α has already started pre-sales, with prices ranging from 111,000 to 138,900 yuan, while the ONE-β is expected to be available for blind pre-order and will not be released until next year.
I think it is worth paying attention to because MG is still an outstanding small-town scholar, providing small-town consumers with what they need most, while not lacking the individuality that is most needed in appearance.
For example, abundant power, equipped with a 1.5T high-power engine, with a maximum power of 181 horsepower, maximum torque of 285 Nm, and 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 8.1 seconds. As the first SIGMA SUV model, it is equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon flagship 8155 chip, Baidu/Zebra Artemis intelligent cabin system, AI semantic engine supported by Alibaba, 30-inch hug-type intelligent triple screen and other equipment, and supports high-end intelligent auxiliary driving, full-scenario unmanned intelligent parking, whole-vehicle FOTA and other intelligent functions.
Because my home is in Beijing and I currently work in Shanghai, I have the impression that there are not many people driving MG cars. However, when I travel to second- and third-tier cities, I find that MG is the favorite of most local young people. Young people come and go, but MG has always been making cars for small town youths. Therefore, I think it deserves more attention and recognition.
After sharing so much, I would like to end this article, which is a bit trivial but really informative about as many models as possible, with the last two cars.
Perhaps because of the epidemic situation, we kept receiving notices of activity cancellations or changes until the day before entering the venue. Under the epidemic situation, this is a bustling scene that everyone has worked hard to create. As an automotive media person, we only hope not to let it down.
One is the 4.1 Pavilion’s IM L7.
This brand, born at the beginning of this year, asked me a memorable question on the day of its birth, “What should cars look like in the intelligent era?”
IM L7’s appearance has been announced for a long time. Its interior will be released at the Guangzhou Auto Show. This high-end intelligent pure electric vehicle brand with SAIC Group’s backing will soon be a year old. I am curious about whether it can answer that original question and look forward to its answer. I am also looking forward to the answers of other new car-making forces in the venue.
The other car is the Lotus Emira.
This is a car that “starts and finishes”. Emira will be Lotus’s last fuel-powered sports car, and Emira means “leader” in Latin. It is also Lotus’s first production version of the fuel-powered sports car (TYPE131 model) based on the Vision 80 strategy.
It is indeed a leader because it will replace the discontinued Elise, Exige, and Evora models and become Lotus’s ultimate product in the era of internal combustion engines. As for its rival, it is the Porsche 718, and their exhibition booths are all located in Hall 8.1.
As mentioned at the beginning, life is like a game of chess, with each move new. The Guangzhou Auto Show, which seems to be held at the same time every year, has its own hidden and bright spots. The only thing that is the same is that all car companies are trying their best to actively participate in the same era in their own way.The future is long, and we hope that we all have the opportunity to slowly speak…
As for BBA and many other brands that have not been mentioned, there are also big moves. Please pay attention to our other articles.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.