Tesla and global carmakers race against Chinese EV rivals at Shanghai import expo

International brands led by Tesla are intensifying their efforts to compete with Chinese electric-vehicle (EV) manufacturers like BYD, as they showcase advanced intelligence and autonomous-driving technology to attract visitors at the world’s largest import-export trade fair in Shanghai.\nThe 12 major carmakers, including General Motors and Volvo, are leveraging the China International Import Expo (CIIE), which runs through Monday, to promote their latest models featuring longer ranges, enhanced in-car entertainment systems and improved self-driving capabilities.\n“They are showing their commitment to upgrading their products and technologies to compete with local rivals,” said Ding Haifeng, a consultant at Shanghai-based financial advisory firm Integrity. “This is rare, as foreign brands have been the market leaders in the Chinese car market over the past three decades.”\nInternational brands dominated the Chinese car market from the early 1990s until 2025, before being overtaken by local competitors in EV design and manufacturing.\nChinese EV manufacturers, supported by a comprehensive automotive supply chain, are outpacing their foreign counterparts with vehicles boasting high-performance batteries and advanced autonomous driving technology.\n\nDomestic EV builders now account for more than 90 per cent of electric car sales in China.\nHome-grown automotive companies, comprising both EV and petrol vehicle makers, control two-thirds of the domestic market, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association.\nThe surge in EV adoption in China has heightened pressure on international brands, pushing them to localise their operations in an effort to reclaim lost market share.\nOn Saturday, Tesla launched a longer-range variant of the Chinese-made Model Y, capable of travelling up to 821km on a single charge. Priced at 288,500 yuan (US$40,523), this new model surpasses the previous longest-range version, which has a range of 750km.\nAt CIIE, Tesla showcased its prototype Cybercab, drawing thousands of visitors to its booth. It marked the first time the robotaxi was displayed in the Asia-Pacific region.\nA marketing official from Tesla said many visitors were eager to learn about the firm’s autonomous driving technology and posed “numerous” questions regarding the Cybercab, including inquiries about its launch date in China and production costs.\n“Chinese drivers are eagerly anticipating fully autonomous cars,” said Chen Jinzhu, CEO of consultancy Shanghai Mingliang Auto Service, who attended CIIE on Friday. “Tesla could win back some market share here if it could demonstrate its superiority in self-driving.”\nTesla returned to CIIE after skipping the event for two years and made its Asia-Pacific debut with the Cybercab.\nOnce commanding a 16 per cent share of China’s EV market when local production began in 2020, Tesla saw its share slide below 7 per cent last year amid an escalating price war and the rise of domestic brands.\nChinese consumers are increasingly attracted to smarter electric cars, as advanced digital features become major differentiators in the automotive industry.\nTwo out of three new cars sold in China this year would have Level 2 autonomous driving capabilities or higher, according to Zhang Yongwei, general secretary of China EV100, a non-governmental organisation composed mostly of top executives in the EV sector.\nAt the Honda booth, sales staff demonstrated how to use the S7 SUV’s central touch screen system while trying to convince local consumers that the intelligence features of its latest vehicles could match those offered by domestic brands.\nAt CIIE on Wednesday, Volkswagen Group unveiled plans to develop advanced semiconductors in China for its locally made semi-autonomous vehicles.\nThe chips, designed to process data from an autonomous vehicle’s cameras and sensors, were expected to be delivered in the next three to five years, with capabilities nearly on par with Nvidia’s latest Thor processor, according to the carmaker.\n\nVolvo showcased its EX90 fully electric multipurpose vehicle. The Chinese-made vehicle, priced at over 800,000 yuan, provides a driving range of more than 700km.\nA sales manager said the vehicle was designed to alleviate drivers’ range anxiety and stay ahead of Chinese competitors.\nThe automobile exhibition hall is the highlight of this year’s CIIE, which has attracted 4,108 companies from around the world, according to the CIIE Bureau, a unit of the Ministry of Commerce.\nLaunched in 2018 amid a trade war with the US, CIIE aims to leverage increased purchases of foreign goods and services to underscore China’s commitment to free trade and market access.\n