Meeting in Shanghai–Automakers flock to

　　By CHEN Xiaotong

　　More than 1,000 automakers from around the world are set to show up at?the 2023 Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition (Auto Shanghai).

　　This year’s Auto Shanghai comes as car sales are declining. In Q1, 4.3 million vehicles were sold in China down 13.4 percent year on year.

　　Lights go green at the National Exhibition and Convention Center on Tuesday, with more than 100 new models revved up for debuts at the show.

　　On the exhibition schedule, April 18 and 19 are designated as media days, exclusively open to domestic and foreign news media. April 20 and 21 are reserved for professional visitors, while April 22 through 27, Auto Shanghai would be open to both professional and public visitors.

　　New faces

　　Mecerdes-Benz plans to unveil a staggering 27 new models at the show, including the new Maybach EQS SUV and two concept cars, all of which are electric.

　　BMW will bring an all-EV fleet that includes the Rolls-Royce Spectre, the first fully-electric Roll-Royce, and the Mini Aceman.

　　Chinese automaker BYD has its EV supercar Yangwang U8 and the Song L premium SUV. Great Wall Motor is taking 30 new models to the show, half of them EVs.

　　Absent friends

　　China’s joint ventures have long been criticized as too slow to turn electric and are making efforts to catch up. Volkswagen has the ID7, an electric sedan. Toyota and Honda are also bringing their latest Evs.

　　Noticeably, Tesla?isn’t attending the exhibition. The company has nothing new to show and there is nothing more to say about the iconic Model 3 and Model Y.

　　A good number of struggling domestic outfits will also be no-shows, including Evergrande’s controversial automaking endeavor Hengchi, and the ever-troubled Weltmeister Motor.

　　Tech and supply chain

　　Huawei, definitely not to be a car maker, has the Wenjie M5, an advanced driving system that does not rely on high-precision maps.

　　The N7 from Tengshi and AION Hyper GT also highlight intelligent driving, a subject that has taken a huge swerve recently, thanks to ChatGPT. All bets are currently off in terms of automotive AI.

　　The tech and supply chain area occupies three exhibition halls. Bosch, Continental, Huawei, CATL and Horizon, will bring their latest products including CATL's sodium-ion battery and Huawei's ultra-fast charging architecture.