Cars

Car Design News: Letter from Shanghai

By 2024-10-08T09:49:00

Shanghai pudong skyline with historical Waibaidu bridge

Car Design News reports on the Chinese car design industry

Shanghai is China’s creative capital. Positioned at the mouth of the Yangtze, the city has, by invention, been more open to the world than its landlocked brethren in the country’s vast interior. With that has come tremendous opportunities, and not a little risk. The buildings tell a story of a prosperous and occasionally highly fraught relationship with the western world. It is architecturally rich: a seam of Deco buildings line the west bank of the Bund facing the glittering skyscrapers across the river. The new Shanghai – confident, energetic and constantly looking forwards.  

Until recently, it was natural to see this division as a metaphor for the car industry. Established western brands conferred high-status upon their owners thanks to a heritage and expertise honed over decades. The newer homegrown brands were shinier, more tech-focused and cheaper: cars as consumer products. But this coexistence was always a slightly uneasy one given China’s ambitions – the country was never likely to play second fiddle to overseas brands indefinitely. The pandemic forced China to turn inward and its effects were exacerbated by a particularly harsh lockdown in March 2022: those who could, left. When things began opening up, the scenery had shifted.  

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