Introduction

Introduction

The Chengdu Auto Show is gradually becoming more of a car sales exhibition, which is simply the trend of the times.

"There aren't many new cars at this year's Chengdu Auto Show!"

Considering the intensity of competition in the automotive market in 2025, it's a bit perplexing that a highly regionally forward-looking auto show failed to attract a cluster of new cars. Especially considering it's in Chengdu. As the most significant international auto show in Southwest China, it should live up to its international name and align with the standards of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

But unfortunately, with just a few days left before the auto show opens, based on the currently available information, there are very few new cars, and it's probably safe to say that's the case.

Compared to the past, due to the sudden changes in the automotive market, there are indeed fewer and fewer players that can survive. The depth of new car launches across the industry naturally shows a trend of decline. But does this mean that the momentum of new car launches at auto shows will definitely weaken significantly?

At the Shanghai Auto Show in April, the outside world truly saw that the automotive market was not depressed. New cars flooded in, and the grand spectacle remained. Therefore, six months later, it's not that the Chengdu Auto Show is unqualified. I am more willing to believe that major automakers are choosing to forgo the opportunity to hold a grand event in Chengdu in order to free up resources and concentrate their bets on the Guangzhou Auto Show at the end of the year.

However, no matter how boring it is, the Chengdu Auto Show still carries weight in the Southwest market.

At first glance, there doesn't seem to be any new cars making their debut, but considering the market actions in recent months, a large number of newly launched cars collectively landing in Chengdu still makes it worth watching. Plus, the debut of some models also makes the ticket price worthwhile.

01 Mid-to-Large SUVs Gather, Each Unyielding

This year, we can clearly feel a point regarding the exploration of market development: no matter which automaker, there has been a convergence in model innovation and iteration frequency. Throughout the first half of the year, there were no quirky new cars, and the market was uniformly dominated by large-sized extended-range/plug-in hybrid SUVs, which speaks volumes.

Image | NIO's all-new ES8

At this time, with Geely Yinhe M9, NIO ES8, Aion HL extended-range, and a bunch of other new cars rushing to pre-sell or launch before the exhibition, the Chengdu Auto Show has at least allowed this group of mid-to-large SUVs to dominate the center of attention.

Among them, NIO's all-new generation ES8 deserves to be the king of war in this overt and covert struggle. With Li Bin's determination to keep NIO alive, the ES8, with a battery-as-a-service pre-sale price of 308,800 yuan, is quite a presence.

Compared to the current model, the price has been reduced by more than 100,000 yuan, combined with a full set of skills from NIO's latest technology platform. It can be said that if users are not picky about the brand, in terms of product power alone, this car is almost unbeatable.

Image | Geely Yinhe M9

Similarly, if the all-new ES8 is the absolute representative of value for money in the 400,000 yuan SUV segment, then in the 200,000 yuan market, which is closest to the vast majority of users, Geely Yinhe M9 is undoubtedly another game-changing player.

With a pre-sale price starting at 193,800 yuan, and it hasn't even officially launched yet, automotive industry insiders have already stated that "this car can easily sell over 10,000 units per month." It is evident how much attention it will attract once it makes its debut at the auto show.

This year, Geely's aggressive pursuit of the market has already been evident. Whether it's closely following BYD to launch a price war or attacking and occupying various market segments with its own brands, the posture it has struck is rare in the industry.

Image | Volvo's all-new XC70

In Chengdu, Yinhe M9 is like a sharp sword piercing into the mid-to-large SUV market. Under its leadership, it is expected that Volvo's all-new XC70 and smart #5 EHD from the same group will also take advantage of the heated trend in the plug-in hybrid market to add fuel to their respective brands.

For the former, as Volvo's most important new car in 2025, the all-new XC70 has represented the fierce determination of traditional luxury brands to launch a general offensive since its announcement.

On the eve of the Chengdu Auto Show, the all-new XC70 will officially start pre-sales, which means that by the day of the auto show, whether people choose to visit this new car out of Volvo's determination to introduce new products or simply out of curiosity about the XC70, this car can be considered a heavyweight model in the traditional luxury camp at the entire Chengdu Auto Show.

Image | smart #5 EHD

In contrast, although the smart #5 EHD is more like a power derivative, with the multiple highlights of Geely's plug-in hybrid technology, the appearance of the #5 EHD with the END suffix will inevitably make many competitors nervous.

Even though smart's European lineage has faded somewhat, the technological advantages that Geely brings to this car, combined with the design features of the #5 itself and its product positioning that no longer positions itself as the king of small cars, can take on the responsibility of boosting attention at the somewhat dull Chengdu Auto Show.

Speaking of which, looking at the entire Chengdu Auto Show, we do not deny that the SUV market is completely surrounded by a group of domestic new energy vehicles. However, among them, mentioning an imported car is still quite interesting.

Image | Hyundai's all-new Palisade

Looking back at the Shanghai Auto Show in April, with Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis collectively absent, it once led people to believe that Korean cars would completely abandon the Chinese market. Who would have thought that at the beginning of this month, imported Hyundai would actually bring the all-new Palisade to China.

The all-new Palisade, with its brand-new design and a new 2.5T hybrid system, can be considered a breath of fresh air in the current mid-to-large SUV market in China. It is not surprising that this new car will officially start pre-sales in Chengdu, and even less surprising is that no matter how much this imported car is liked, its final destination is still up for debate.

02 Full Price Range Coverage, Sedans Are Not Willing to Be a Sideshow

SUVs have always been the favorite model of Chinese consumers. Even today, when the economic environment is not optimistic, to be honest, as long as the price is right, people can't resist buying an SUV.

Image | Ford Bronco Sport EV

In fact, when searching for which SUVs will appear at the Chengdu Auto Show, in addition to the above models, it is highly likely that models such as the GAC Enverge S9, Ford Bronco Sport EV, Chery Fengyun T11, and Shangjie H5 will also make their appearances. However, given the importance of the models and the limited information available about them, we have selectively highlighted a few models that are more important to their respective brands.

Compared to SUVs, the attention paid to other categories in the market this year is indeed average. But then again, in terms of new car density, it's hard to say for sure in the sedan market, which is the foundation of the automotive market.

In just a few months, the abundance of over-the-top products led by the Geely Yinhe A7 has also allowed consumers to feel the ambition of automakers to capture the market. And now, in the more downmarket sedan segment, new cars including the all-new MG4 and ARCFOX T1 have chosen to make their debut in August, which is undoubtedly related to the convening of the Chengdu Auto Show.

Image | MG's all-new MG4

In this segment, the launch of the all-new MG4 is not only SAIC MG's bottom card for the domestic market but also for the international market, where MG's pure electric new cars carry the mission of capturing various regional markets overseas.

The new car can be described as a reborn generation, bearing no resemblance to the current MG4. However, in SAIC's view, perhaps this relatively gentle design is more in line with the tastes of domestic users.

It's worth noting that in the 100,000 yuan pure electric small car market, the Volkswagen ID.3, Aion Y, and BYD Dolphin are all adorable, and in terms of sales, they are also high. Given this situation, although the current evaluation may not be as expected, if SAIC were to continue the current MG4's tough style, its leaders might not be willing to do so.

Image | SAIC Volkswagen's all-new Lamando L

To put it bluntly, the development direction of the small car market has always been dominated by women. If we really want to break through this relationship, I think we have to rise to at least the A-segment sedan market.

At this year's Chengdu Auto Show, we may finally see the update of SAIC Volkswagen's Lamando L. Although from previous declaration images, the new car is merely a mid-cycle facelift of the current model. However, considering the hints that SAIC Volkswagen has been dropping regarding performance sedans, from the earliest Skoda Octavia RS to the first-generation Lamando GTS, it has finally returned after a multi-year hiatus.

The all-new Lamando L will introduce the GTS model as the top-of-the-line variant. In addition to adopting a more aggressive exterior design, the 2.0T high-power engine paired with the DQ381 dual-clutch transmission significantly elevates the Lamando L and significantly ignites the waning flames of fuel performance cars.

Image | Lantu Pursuit L

Of course, in terms of price, the all-new Lamando L will be priced at around 200,000 yuan at most. Going higher, as Lantu's latest and flagship plug-in hybrid sedan, the Pursuit L will support the positioning of the entire sedan lineup at the auto show.

According to official information, unlike the current Pursuit, the Pursuit L will be the world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid sedan with an 800V+5C ultra-fast charging system and an ultra-large battery, as well as the world's longest pure electric range of 410 kilometers. At the same time, the Lantu Pursuit L will also be equipped with the latest Huawei Kunlun intelligent assisted driving and HarmonyOS intelligent cockpit.

In fact, despite the fact that the new car still uses the name "Pursuit," with its all-new and nearly "Rolls-Royce"-like exterior design, the Pursuit L is positioned to rival 500,000 yuan executive sedans. However, given the current level of market competition, it is estimated that Lantu will set a very competitive price for the Pursuit L.

Image | XPeng's all-new P7

In summary, the new models debuting at this year's Chengdu Auto Show are indeed very different from the past. Especially in terms of quantity, as can be seen from the summary of the new car lineup above, whether it's the traditional sedan and SUV markets or some more segmented markets, there has been no clustering of new cars.

Even if we add in various already revealed models with high popularity or derivative versions of car lines, such as XPeng's all-new P7 and Aion HL extended-range, it still seems incomparable. All we can say is that this situation will make us increasingly look forward to the Guangzhou Auto Show at the end of the year, which will once again see a flourishing era of new cars.

Editor-in-Charge: Yang Jing, Editor: He Zengrong

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