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Tesla might lose ground to local pretenders, as likes of Xpeng, BYD steal a march with made-for-China EVs
- Tesla’s ‘international models’ are not the up-to-date smart vehicles that many rich Chinese consumers desire, executive at advisory firm Suolei says
- Some Chinese smart car assemblers superior to global rivals in terms of digital cockpit development: JD Power consultant
Reading Time:6 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
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Daniel Renin Shanghai
Three in every five new cars entering China’s roads are expected to be powered by electricity by 2030, according to a UBS forecast. In the first of a four-part series, Daniel Ren looks at Tesla, and whether it can hang on to its pole position in the world’s largest and most competitive market for electric vehicles.
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Zhang Hua spent three months looking at half a dozen electric-car models before deciding to ditch his eight-year-old Honda Civic.
The research fellow at Shanghai Jiao Tong University trawled websites for reviews, kicked tyres at half a dozen showrooms and asked detailed questions about resale values, add-on services and enhancements before settling on a P7 sedan made by electric-vehicle (EV) start-up Xpeng in early March.
What sold him on the P7 was the EV’s driver-assistance system and its voice-command functions. He paid 250,000 yuan (US$36,340) for the EV by the Guangzhou-based carmaker.
“I gave priority to the level of intelligence, because it’s a digitalised era, where drivers and passengers demand more in-car entertainment activities and digital connectivity,” Zhang said.
“Chinese-made smart electric cars are now good choices for middle-class consumers, because their technologies and services cater to our demands.”
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