Electric mood awaits fans, legacy giants at Auto China

The world's biggest car show opened on Friday in Beijing, with hundreds of thousands of auto fans descending on the capital to size up the latest sleek, teched-out models on the market. The Auto China exhibition, hosted at two side-by-side venues in the capital, spans 380,000 square metres, according to organisers, sprawling more than 50 football pitches. Domestic brands are expected to fight to out-wow the competition with upgrades in autonomous driving, battery charging and futuristic transportation. Xpeng – founded just over a decade ago – said it plans to showcase "the latest progress in robotics and flying cars", as well as a new smart driving system. Foreign automakers, meanwhile, are increasingly collaborating with local companies to keep pace with technological advances. BMW has partnered with Chinese battery maker CATL while Audi is using Huawei's driving assistance systems and Volkswagen is developing EVs together with Guangzhou-based Xpeng. This year, companies will also jostle to sell space, analysts say, with roomy SUVs' new growth area targeting customers prioritising seating and comfort. China "has become a customer retention and replacement/upgrade-driven market, and these big SUVs address that need," independent analyst Lei Xing wrote in a blog this week. (AFP) Edited by Priscilla Ng