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You’d be forgiven for thinking that the motor show, in its traditional sense at least, is going the way of the manual gearbox.
Once the leviathan of shows, Frankfurt IAA was the place to be for all the key brands in Europe, but it has now moved to Munich and attracts a fraction of the manufacturers.
An Australian equivalent is long gone, Geneva attempted a bizarre revival via a panic move to Doha but is now gone again, and Detroit’s dates were muscled into a different end of the year by the growing might of the Consumer Electronics Show. The motor-show world is now a very different space.
Whether it be a post Covid-19 society nervous of large gatherings or the various brands favouring smaller satellite presentations where they can more carefully control their marketing messages and audience, it would appear the glory days are over. Except they aren’t... as demonstrated by Auto China 2024. The big motor show is back!
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After a four-year hiatus, the Beijing show has returned and, unlike other shows that emerged from the pandemic as dimly glowing shadows of their former selves, Beijing was a dazzling display of electrified wonder.
While many accepted stalwarts from Europe, Japan, South Korea, UK and the US showed up, a humble undertone percolated the tourists as the Chinese marques dominated at their home ground.
As attendance at other shows dwindles, Auto China 2024 expected more than half a million people to walk through the doors in just three days, prompting the manufacturers to keep their powder dry at other global events and save the big news for Beijing.
This year, the event hosted 117 global premieres, of which 30 were by multinational brands, and a whopping 41 concepts were revealed covering 220,000 square metres of exhibition space at CIEC-Chaoyang. Picking just one champion of the show is as hard as choosing your favourite tooth, so here’s our top 10... or so.
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JUMP AHEAD
- MG EXE181
- Genesis Magma
- Mini Aceman
- Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance and G580 electric
- Smart concepts
- Souo H8 boxer engine
- Fang Cheng Bao Super 9
- Chery Exeed E08
- Zeekr Mix
- Denza Z9 GT
- Dongfeng Mengshi M-Hunter
- Lynk & Co 07
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MG EXE181
Remember when MG used to cop flak for turning an iconic English sportscar marque into a purveyor of cheap SUVs?
If the Cyberster two-seater didn’t silence those critics then the EXE181 takes a champagne cork and decisively shoves it down their collective throats. Built as a nod to Stirling Moss’s land-speed record of 1957, the EXE181 was penned in the UK design house and significantly ups the performance ante compared with its ageing 1.5-litre grandfather, cracking 100km/h from standstill in less than a second, says its maker.
Amazingly, though, acceleration is not its party piece. Thanks to a drag coefficient of just 0.181, it’ll reach a top speed of 415km/h. The 181 in its name refers to its slippery score while the EXE presumably indicates how much it’ll cost if this striking concept car goes into production, which MG has not ruled out.
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Genesis Magma
At the Genesis stage, much of the attention was being stolen by the ridiculously pretty X Gran Berlinetta concept which was revealed in Barcelona late in 2023 but it had been redecorated in easily the Beijing show’s trendiest colour – orange.
However, it was the Vision Blue car lurking in centre stage that was the really interesting model.
The G80 Magma joins the GV60 Magma (also orange) and builds the momentum of the Magma high-performance sub brand and its chances of becoming a de facto BMW M/Mercedes-AMG rival. Both Magma models are likely for Australia, too.
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Mini Aceman
It might seem strange choosing a motor show in China as the venue to reveal the latest model from a European/British brand but it’s far more appropriate than you might imagine.
While the Countryman will be the first Mini made outside of the UK (on BMW’s X1 and X2 production lines), the Aceman will emerge from a Chinese factory as part of a GWM joint venture. Significantly, the Aceman is the only Mini model for now that’s available exclusively as an EV, while its Mini Cooper three-door and Countryman siblings are offered as petrol and electric.
Mini refers to the new model as an SUV, sitting between the Countryman all-wheel drive and Cooper small hatchback. But with front-drive only and decidedly car-like proportions, this Mini is more for the road than the trail.
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Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance and G580 electric
In response to the tsunami of electrification and China’s demand for it, Mercedes-Benz took the opportunity to roll out a new version of a model that, until now, was one of its thirstiest.
With a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 and 2.5 tonnes to lug around, the G63 AMG doesn’t just roar, it also guzzles. The new G580 however, whispers. That’s because the newest G-Class is powered by four electric motors, with individual two-speed gearboxes at each wheel, for combined outputs of 432kW and 1164Nm.
If that doesn't tickle your fancy, then the GT 63 S E Performance certainly will. The new flagship GT is a V8 plug-in hybrid with 600kW/1420Nm and it can hit 0-100km/h in a claimed 2.8sec. That's quicker even than the AMG One hypercar, while top-speed is 320km/h. Both cars are due in Australia soon.
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Smart concepts
Thanks to Australia’s obsession with large cars, tiny city vehicle maker Smart was axed locally almost a decade ago, but the models on show in China might appear in Australia now the brand is coming back.
Not only is the range no longer only diminutive micro boxes, but the models have evolved into potent and capable machines. Revealed at the show this year was the #5 concept, which will likely evolve into a production SUV with 800-volt architecture and in excess of 550km of range.
However, the most recent evolution of its new #3 is more intriguing. Rolling out in the famous Brabus branding, the high-performance #3 has all-wheel drive, 315kW and will smash 100km/h from standstill in 3.7 seconds.
Smart says the #3 Brabus delivers “one-second-wow” styling and performance but if we were to pick just one word it’d be, well, smart.
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Souo H8 boxer engine
Of the vehicles on show this year, 278 were hybrid or full electric, yet that’s not to say Auto China 2024 was without any quality internal-combustion moments.
While GWM is known for its wide range of four-wheeled vehicles, it’s making the move into motorcycle production this year. It’s first Souo H8 bike will be revealed in June 2024, but to build a little hype in the meantime, the Chinese manufacturer rolled out its highly unusual engine – a water-cooled, naturally aspirated boxer eight.
Other than a capacity of 2.0 litres, Souo is remaining tight-lipped about tech specs, despite offering an aural treat of what it’ll sound like. Think BMW flat-twin noise that’s been fed through an event horizon.
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Fang Cheng Bao Super 9
While there was more than enough technology on display to prove this Chinese manufacturer is at the forefront of powertrain, information and entertainment, the Fang Cheng Bao Super 9 concept was there to prove they have a grasp on aesthetics, too.
Sure, it was mostly accomplished by poaching former Lamborghini and Audi designer Wolfgang Eggert but that doesn’t detract from the extraordinary screen-less speedster’s arresting beauty.
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Chery Exeed E08
It’s hard to know where to start with the Chery Exeed E08. You’ve heard of three-box and two-box vehicle design but allow Chery to introduce... a box.
Its maker says the capsized fridge has a ‘super low drag coefficient’ but the only way this would be possible were if the elec-brick was constructed using cobwebs and the slightest draught simply gusted through any MPV matter like a photon of light through a vacuum.
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Zeekr Mix
Part of the joy of the Beijing show is the opportunity to see a few of China's domestic-market models and brands that will definitely never be sold globally due to the catalogue of copyright and intellectual property laws that they shamelessly violate.
One such example is the Zeekr Mix, which has more than just a passing resemblance to the Volkswagen ID. Buzz.
It’s almost a shame that it would be hailed with legal artillery the second it ventured outside PRC as its combination of 310kW, AWD and an innovative lounge-room-configurable interior make it a genuinely likeable rip-off.
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Denza Z9 GT
Speaking of China-Euro collaborations, the Denza Z9 GT is the result of a partnership between BYD and Mercedes-Benz.
While it might look like a relatively conservative shooting brake in the company of some hyperbolic concepts, this five door is a circa-1000 horsepower cut-price Porsche Taycan slayer. Perhaps hard to believe, but it shares some of its underpinnings with the BYD Seal, although this car has lost a lot of blubber and gained muscle.
Three electric motors provide 700kW to all four wheels, while one per wheel at the rear brings tail-biased handling and sophisticated torque vectoring. All that tech and performance comes at a cost though. While performance is expected to be visceral, the Z9 GT tips the scales at 2875kg. Perhaps it’ll be dubbed the BYD Whale in some markets...
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Dongfeng Mengshi M-Hunter
It certainly wasn’t the silliest name at the show this year, with plenty of amusing translation fails to be found, but the Dongfeng Mengshi M-Hunter was up there.
Looking like the illegitimate offspring of a CanAm Maverick and a Mini Moke, it’s easy to look past this hardcore off-roader’s name when you realise, believe it or not, it is not a concept.
Details were light at the time of reveal but it’s thought to have either a pure battery or range-extended electric powertrain similar to the previous M-Hero 1. If that’s the case, expect up to 800kW and, rest assured, the roll cage is not just for show... because you’ll be needing that.
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Lynk & Co 07
Despite its polarising Gen-Z phonetic name, Lynk & Co is a brand worthy of attention. It’s not yet officially confirmed for an Australian debut – except it has already made one of sorts.
The 03 is cutting laps on track Down Under as part of the TCR racing series which, reading between the racing lines, is laying the ground for an introduction.
When it does, the 07, which had its sheets torn off in Beijing, probably won’t be the Aussie spearhead. But the 08 as part of a car-sharing service? Hmmm. Watch this space.
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