Auto Shanghai: How the Germans head into the trade fair

Shanghai is getting ready: The first premieres have already been unveiled on the eve of the world's largest car show, Auto Shanghai 2025. From Wednesday to May 2, the trade fair will showcase more than 100 cars from 70 Chinese and international brands. Just two years ago, international visitors experienced a collective moment of speechlessness in the same exhibition halls. Numerous previously unknown brands showed with innovative cars how fast China's automotive industry had developed during the Covid years. Much has changed for German manufacturers here since then.

New energy vehicles (NEVs) now account for half of new registrations in China, and domestic manufacturers dominate the market. BYD has dethroned Volkswagen, and the German car manufacturer's poor sales figures in this crucial market have recently dampened the mood. They now have to prove that they have adapted to their Chinese customers. There is no shortage of doubters. "It's time to find out if [foreign car makers] have made good enough EVs," the Financial Times quotes Li Yanwei, a member of the China Automobile Dealers Association's expert committee.

"We have a strong plan. We are shifting delivery mode for Auto Shanghai," counters Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume. On the stage of the Volkswagen Group Media Night at the West Bund Art Center, the audience is welcomed not by a human but by AI Xiao V. The Group presents five world premieres as automotive proof that it has understood the market and can turn the sales curve upwards again. The focus is on the three ID concepts: ID.ERA, ID.AURA, and ID.EVO.

The names might be confusing, but their appearance is striking – especially the mighty full-size SUV ID.ERA. From the side, it looks a touch like a Range Rover. The car is not just a visual change: It is also set to be the first VW with a range extender, an extremely popular drivetrain in China that provides a total range of 1,000 kilometers.

The compact ID. AURA from FAW-Volkswagen is also a new concept : It will be the first model based on the Compact Main Platform (CMP) with the zonal electronics architecture (CEA), which Volkswagen developed specifically for China. And even ahead of schedule in just 34 months, almost a year faster than comparable projects in Wolfsburg. The platform is intended to reduce the costs of smaller vehicles in the entry-level segment by 40 percent. The next electric platform is already in the starting blocks: The "China Scalable Platform" (CSP) is to be created without external development or software partners, again in China, for China. The ID.AURA is expected to be priced at the equivalent of EUR 17,000. The concept cars are set to go into series production in 2026.

"It is now important for us to gain market share in the electric world, and I have a good feeling," says VW CEO Oliver Blume after the premiere. "The feedback is very good, I think we will catch up in 2026. We feel much better prepared than when we changed our strategy three years ago." Blume believes a market share of between 12 and 15 percent is possible.

Two other world premieres at the Volkswagen Group Night came from Audi : The Audi A6L e-tron, which is based on the PPE platform (Premium Platform Electric) and has been given a larger battery with a capacity of 107 kilowatt-hours, giving it a range of 770 kilometers; and the first production model of the four-letter AUDI, the AUDI E5 Sportback, which is expected to roll out to Chinese dealerships this summer. Later, on a walk on the stage, visitors could look inside and discover a cockpit that clearly demonstrated its full-width front display, cleverly bent at the sides: We now understand what young Chinese customers want.

Mercedes-Benz also presented a world premiere the day before the trade fair – the Vision V van. They also brought a long-wheelbase version of the new electric CLA designed for the Chinese market. Some journalists were allowed to take the latter for a spin before the premiere event – in the passenger seat. Decked out with camouflage stickers, the Level 2++ drove autonomously through the Shanghai traffic around the manufacturer's R D Center. The ++ suffix indicates that the vehicle not only drives largely autonomously on the highway, but also in much more complex city traffic, although the driver must always keep their hands close to the steering wheel.

One developer explains that adapting the vehicle to local traffic is complex, if only because drivers in Shanghai have different driving habits than those in Beijing. There are still a few minor rough edges, but the car navigates skillfully and sometimes boldly between trucks, delivery bikes, and cabs. Mercedes is the first international manufacturer to launch Point-to-Point Driving Assistance in China. The CLA is due to arrive this summer.

The big hit is the completely new MMA electric platform, which promises high efficiency with its two-speed transmission. The car has a range of 866 kilometers and achieves a power consumption of 10.9 kw/h per 100 kilometers. At a speed of 120 km/h, it should still be able to cover 572 kilometers, more than the average driver drives in a week by car.

At its premiere, the Vision V glided into the hall to the music of a cello player, dividing opinion after the event. As an MPV, it is aimed at a high-growth segment, as luxurious minivans with captain's chairs and all kinds of amenities are very popular in China's major cities as a relaxed way of surviving the occasional traffic jam. However, chief designer Gordon Wegener may have gone a little overboard with the design for some tastes.

However, the interior is true China style. The white-ribbed leather rear seats are certainly something that many design fans would put in an apartment. A large screen turns the interior into either an office on wheels or a movie theater. The concept shows that the brand has understood what customers in China want. This could also be due to local growth: The team has doubled in size in recent years, and local developers now have more responsibility for the local options, enabling a faster development pace.