The Auto Shanghai 2019 show was a great way to gauge how far China has come in the automotive industry. Gone are the copycat days. They’ve made way for new down-to-Earth and pragmatic Chinese mobility startups with mature goals. No double-digit growth this year, long-term viability and growth is the name of the game.
Walking the massive convention center that houses Auto Shanghai 2019 (i.e., the Shanghai Auto Show) is a great way to get in your steps. The place is huge, taking up 5,400,000 square feet of exhibit space. There are cars and automotive-related companies displaying everything from the latest SUV to a new electric concept to a meal-delivery robot that takes its cues from R2-D2. It’s an overwhelming array of new technology, and then you realize that there are two floors.
The 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show is over and leaves us with a few questions, observations, and trends to report back. In this first part, we take a look at startups and how they go head to head against more established carmakers, as well as the difference between the media days and public days. In part 2, we will look more closely at traditional carmakers.
