Shanghai motor show 2023 gallery: every new car revealed
From BMW to BYD, Porsche to Polestar, Nio to Nissan - they're all here...
China's oldest motoring exhibition returns with a boatload of important new cars making their debut
China’s first motor show since Covid restrictions were finally lifted is under way, and already it's shaping up to be one of the biggest motoring events in recent years.
Auto Shanghai, which began in 1985, is hosting unveilings from global brands such as Polestar, Porsche and Smart, as well as home-grown ones including BYD, Nio and Xpeng - and as Chinese brands ramp up plans to compete in Europe, we're just as excited to see all of them.
Here's every new car appearing in Shanghai:
*Audi Formula 1 car*
Audi is primed to enter Formula 1 in 2026 in partnership with Sauber, and it has been reported that more details on its project will be presented at Shanghai, given the importance of the Chinese market for the sport. The move towards sustainable fuels and the cost cap for each team were key motivators for the German brand to join F1.
*Audi partners with Sauber for Formula 1 entry*
*BMW i7 M70*
It might not be a 'full-fat' M-car, but with 650bhp and enough torque to pull down a house, the new top-rung i7 is a luxury limo with supercar-baiting performance. In fact, it'll do 0-62mph quicker than a Porsche Cayman GT4 - but BMW says it can still crack up to 348 miles between charges. The ultimate all-rounder?
*BMW i7 M70 becomes brand's most powerful EV with 650bhp*
*BMW XM Red Label*
The most powerful hybrid SUV on the market makes its official debut in Shanghai. It's a radically
styled, 738bhp SUV that will do 0-62mph in 3.8sec. The £170,860 Red Label builds on the regular XM's 644bhp powertrain with the addition of an upgrade package for its V8 - it now produces 94bhp more than the standard car's V8. With this upgrade to the combustion engine, its electric-only range is now 47-52 miles and will reach a top speed, in electric mode, of 87mph. Derestricted and with the optional M Driver’s Package, it will reach a top speed of 180mph.
*BMW XM Label Red brings 738bhp for £170,860*
*BYD Yangwang U9*
China's answer to the Audi R8 comes as a £122,100 sports coupé with an electric motor powering each wheel to deliver a 0-62mph time of less than 2.0sec. While not much has been disclosed about the U9, we can confirm that it uses EV technology developed by BYD itself and was styled by Wolfgang Egger, the former Alfa Romeo and Audi design boss.
*BYD launches luxury EV brand with supercar and rugged 4x4*
*HiPhi Y*
HiPhi is a rapidly evolving Chinese premium EV manufacturer that currently offers the X SUV and Z grand tourer. Sitting below them will be the entry-level Y, a slightly smaller but no less outlandish electric SUV that will begin HiPhi's expansion into Europe. Arriving at the end of the year, it targets a lower price point and higher sales volumes than the £75,000 X and Z.
*HiPhi to launch in Europe in 2023 with new entry-level EV*
*Lexus LM*
Lexus has launched the second generation of its LM – or Luxury Mover – in Shanghai. Posed as the more upmarket alternative to the Toyota Alphard, the MPV focuses on space and comfort in both its seven- and four-seat guises. Those seats use Adaptipedic memory foam, recline and offer a choice of seven massage functions. Privacy for passengers is provided by a glass panel that can raise in between the first and second row of seats. Powering it is a 291bhp 3.5-litre petrol V6 for a 0-62mph time of 7.0sec. But most excitingly? It's coming to the UK.
*Lexus LM luxury MPV fully revealed ahead of UK launch*
Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV
Mercedes’ electric SUV flagship has been revealed as a new era for the German ultra-luxury sub-brand as it moves towards a profit-focused strategy centring on large, luxury cars. Maybach's hope with the EQS is that it will position the brand ahead of rivals Bentley and Rolls-Royce, which don't yet offer a luxury electric SUV. It features Maybach's signature two-tone paintwork and a raft of bespoke interior upgrades to make it worthy of “first class” accommodation. Power comes from two electric motors producing 659bhp and 701lb ft and it will offer a range of 373 miles.
*Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV is luxury brand's first EV*
*Mini Aceman*
On show in concept guise, the Aceman will be Mini's first bespoke EV and its most important model. It will arrive in 2025 to fill the gap between the Mini Cooper hatchback and the Mini Countryman SUV. Using Mini's first new name since Paceman in 2012, the Aceman is said to be the car that "ticks all the boxes" and the firm says it will be largely similar to the concept when it enters production.
*Mini Aceman EV is electric-only Clubman replacement*
*Mini Electric Convertible*
Limited to just 150 models in the UK and 999 in Europe, the Mini Electric Convertible makes its debut in China. The £52,500 soft-top sits on the same platform as the regular hatchback, so expect a 181bhp single-motor set-up, an 8.2sec 0-62mph time and 125-mile range.
*2023 Mini Electric Convertible goes on sale at £52,500*
*Nio ES6 facelift*
The facelifted edition of Nio's popular electric SUV will be the first car the Chinese company has launched at a motor show. It will sit on the firm's second-generation platform, which is expected to afford slight improvements in range and performance. The current ES6 uses the same platform as the seven-seat ES8, using an electric motor on each axle which, in Performance trim, features a 322bhp motor at the front and 215bhp motor at the rear. The Standard version has two 215bhp motors at the front and rear. Each achieves a range of 319 miles and 256 miles respectively.
Nio is also expected to announce six more models under its New Episode agenda, including the ET7 electric saloon, ES8, EC7, ES7, and ET5.
*New Nio ES6 unveiled: £41,000 electric rival to the Audi Q5*
*Nissan Max-Out concept*
Nissan's outlandish electric two-seat drop-top makes its Chinese debut in Shanghai. Coming as part of the Japanese firm's drive to develop sustainability and "innovative mobility", the Max-Out will likely make use of solid-state battery technology should it head into production. It's a clean-sheet design with a unique set of alloy wheels, a large, squared-off open-air intake at the front and lightbar at the rear whose shape mimicks that of the front grille. It promises to deliver a "new driving experience with its superlative stability and comfort, tight handling and limited body roll”.
*Nissan Max-Out is tech-focused electric sports car*
*Polestar 4 *
The Polestar 4 is a rakish sporting crossover to rival the upcoming Porsche Macan EV. It will fill the gap between the Polestar 2 saloon and Polestar 3 SUV, priced between £50,000 and £65,000 and with the choice of single- or twin-motor power. We're most excited about the 537bhp option...
*2023 Polestar 4 is rakish coupé-SUV with up to 537bhp*
*Porsche Cayenne*
Stuttgart's revamped flagship SUV will go on sale this spring. It gets a comprehensively redesigned Porsche Taycan-inspired cabin, subtle changes to the exterior and chassis changes honed over 200,000 test kilometres to create "one of the most extensive product upgrades in the history of Porsche". Plus, the Cayenne S has swapped its V6 for a V8 and the Turbo GT is now faster to 62mph than a 911 GT3... but we won't get that one here.
*New-look Porsche Cayenne gets power, EV range and tech boosts*
*Smart #3*
The #3, Smart's biggest model yet, has been designed to give the Geely-Mercedes brand a foothold in the popular electric SUV market. While technical specifications for the #3 remain unavailable to the general public, information leaked out of China has revealed that the coupé-SUV is 4400mm long, 1800mm wide and 1600mm tall with a wheelbase of 2785mm – a similar size to the Volkswagen ID 5. Basic models will feature a single motor with 268bhp and 252lb ft, and a high-performance Brabus variant is likely to join the line-up.
*Smart #3: firm’s largest model yet rivals Volkswagen ID 5*
*Toyota bZ concepts*
Two new intriguing electric cars are inbound from Toyota, previewed in concept form at the Shanghai show. The handsome yellow car is the Sports Crossover - aimed at younger buyers and likely based on the bZ4X – and the larger SUV is a family-focused proposition called the Flexspace. Neither has yet been confirmed for a European launch, but it hasn't been ruled out...
*Toyota previews two new electric cars with concepts in Shanghai*
*Toyota bZ3*
Toyota's Tesla Model 3 rival uses Chinese giant BYD's 'Blade' battery technology to offer a near-400-mile range, and promises "responsive" performance... It will be built in China and, for now, exclusively sold there. But when Autocar asked the firm's European product boss if it could come here eventually, he told us to "stay tuned".
*Toyota bZ3 saloon is Tesla Model 3 rival with 372-mile range*
*Volkswagen ID 7 *
The German giant's MEB-based rival to the Tesla Model 3 made its UK debut on 17 April in Birmingham and will be unveiled in production-ready guise at Shanghai. It is the sixth EV in Volkswagen's ID range and, in time, will become the firm's only model in Europe's ever-shrinking D-segment. Volkswagen say it is designed specifically 'for long distances' and will become available in Pro and Pro S trims. It's set to enter UK showrooms by the end of 2023 with a WLTP range of 435 miles, a price tag of around £50,000, 282bhp and a 0-62mph time of 6.0sec. An estate version is due to arrive later.
*Volkswagen ID 7 goes official with 282bhp and 435-mile range*
Xpeng G6
Xpeng's fifth production car, originally leaked as part of a batch of Chinese government registry filings, is a mid-size electric crossover earmarked for sale in selected European countries from 2024. Featuring a minimalist design, the G6 is expected to go on sale in front- and four-wheel drive guises with outputs ranging between 208bhp and 292bhp.
*Xpeng G6 detailed ahead of debut at 2023 Shanghai motor show*
*Zeekr X*
Kicking off what Zeekr officials have said will be an "aggressive global marketing push", the X is the Geely-owned Chinese firm's third production model, an electric crossover that aims to double Zeekr's sales to more than 140,000 this year. It's likely to share the single-motor, rear-wheel-drive and dual-motor, four-wheel-drive powertrains used by the related Smart #1 and forthcoming Volvo EX30. The fastest version is confirmed to have a 0-62mph time of less than 4.0sec.
*New 2023 Zeekr X is Volkswagen ID 3 rival with up to 422bhp*