The Shanghai Auto Show will take place from April 23, 2025 to May 2, 2025, showcasing over 100 new or updated models from more than 70 automotive brands.

Key participants include Chinese manufacturers BYD and Geely, as well as international companies like Volkswagen, Nissan, Toyota, and General Motors’ Cadillac brand.

This year, advanced driver-assistance systems will be highlighted.

However, regulatory scrutiny after a fatal crash involving Xiaomi’s SU7 has led automakers to adjust their marketing strategies.

Brands such as BYD and Zeekr are now focusing more on driver safety than automation capabilities.

🔗 Source: Reuters

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ China’s decades-long EV strategy is now bearing fruit

The Shanghai auto show highlights the culmination of China’s long-term strategic investment in electric vehicles that began in earnest nearly 15 years ago.

The Chinese government strategically designated EVs as a “strategic emerging industry” in its “Made in China 2025” plan, investing over RMB 390 billion ($58.3 billion) between 2009 and 2017 to develop the sector1.

This sustained support created a comprehensive ecosystem, from generous consumer subsidies to government fleet mandates requiring 30-50% EV adoption, that has accelerated EV adoption to over 50% of new vehicle sales today2.

The investment has been remarkably effective, transforming China from an automotive follower into the world’s premier EV market, with hundreds of competitive models across all price points.

What we’re seeing at the Shanghai show is the maturing of this industrial policy, where Chinese manufacturers now lead in technology, pricing, and market share rather than following global trends.

2️⃣ The historic power shift from Western to Chinese automakers

The crowded Shanghai auto show represents a historic inflection point in the global automotive industry as Chinese brands overtake established Western manufacturers.

BYD has definitively dethroned Tesla, delivering 416,388 battery electric vehicles in Q1 2025 compared to Tesla’s 336,681 units—the second consecutive quarter it has outperformed the former market leader3.