The market has cooled off a bit recently, but China remains by far the largest horsepower nation in the world: From January to October 2018, 18 million vehicles were registered in the People's Republic. There were 13 million in the EU and 14 million in the USA.

From this position of China so far benefited especially the importers, especially from Germany. The Chinese brands largely ignored motorists, abroad they were laughed at for a long time.

Lush electric SUV for 15,000 euros

But times are changing rapidly and local manufacturers are catching up. So Geely is the first company without a joint venture partner already moved up to third place in the manufacturer's ranking - after the duo of FAW and Volkswagen and the local General Motors offshoot.

The turn of the century, however, can not only be proven with numbers, but also with impressions. Anyone who is wandering about the car show in Guangzhou, which is still largely unnoticed in the West, will not be astonished. There are, for example, lush electric SUV with decent reach, which should cost only 15,000 euros. Here is the model overview:

With these models, China attacks

A rock solid car: Vehicles like the Geely Battle , reminiscent of a VW T-Roc, show that China's new models have what it takes to change the power structure in the PS world.

While electromobility in Germany is more of a topic for high earners, the volume manufacturers in China have already filled this field well: the Geely GS5e, for example, with a distance of over 350 kilometers is a model for the mass market and so present on the streets of Shanghai or Beijing as with us a Mercedes A-Class.

A Maybach SUV study with notchback from the car show in Beijing from the spring has remained just a study. The Chinese manufacturer Wey is serious about this intersection and announces this P8 GT for the spring. The attached trunk is not the only special feature. The Chinese celebrate the P8 GT as the first SUV coupe with plug-in hybrid drive, ahead of cars like the BMW X6.

Marvel X is the name of the new SUV from Roewe , the Chinese successor to the traditional English brand Rover. And this car, which of course will also be available as a car with electric drive, now looks independent and grown-up. It does not have to hide at first glance from a Kia Sportage or a Toyota RAV-4.

China's obvious answer to Tesla's Model 3 is the G3 of the start-up Xiaopeng : The SUV, financed by internet giants Foxconn and Alibaba, not only operates electrically and largely autonomously, but is also supposed to break new ground in sales and, for example, be sold out of vending machines. The Chinese play as usual with big numbers. Not only the range of 300 kilometers is neat for a compact, but also the registration target of 100,000 cars a year.

Modesty is different: Another electric start-up from China has given itself the name " World Champion " and is also trying its luck with an electric SUV. The EX5 has the format of a VW Tiguan and is offered with ranges between 300 and 460 kilometers - at a competitive price from 15,000 euros.

With designers who have earned their spurs at Porsche, Enovate from Shanghai wants to establish itself as another start-up at the Chinese charging stations. In about the size of a Mercedes GLC and 435 hp strong, this ME7 will go on sale next spring.

What EQ for Mercedes and ID for VW, this is Ora for the Chinese volume manufacturer Great Wall - a dedicated electric label. The first car of the new daughter is the IQ , a literally oblique CrossOver that costs no 15,000 euros, has a range of more than 300 kilometers and creates 150 km / h.

In the spirit of the dragon fly Quiantu builds the electric supercar K50 , which can take it casually with Porsche and Co. - but only in the design. Because the technical data are not quite as promising: 4.6 seconds from 0 to 100 and 200 km / h peak give the Chinese and promise a range of 380 kilometers.

And yet another start-up under power: Neta is one of the youngest brands in China. She already has a small electric car with a range of 260 kilometers at its start and surprises in Guangzhou with the 03 study, which makes cars like a Renault Zoe or a Nissan Leaf look rather boring. And if you can believe the people at the booth, the cool Stromer should go pretty much in series.

Western manufacturers are trying to keep up with their own electric cars in China as much as possible. The Baojun E200 is the answer to the electric smart - except that the minivan developed by General Motors comes to a range of over 200 kilometers, built on site and therefore offered much cheaper. Already from its predecessor with a range of only 100 kilometers, it has sold more than 22,000 cars within a year and has high hopes for the new model accordingly.

As usual, VW is a little behind the trend - also in China. Therefore, the Lower Saxony overslept the SUV boom for a long time and now have a lot of catching up to do: From six to twelve series, they want to expand their offer by the end of the decade and show in Guangzhou two novelties: Together with FAW they have the Tyron for the developed upper middle class ...

... and together with the second joint venture partner SAIC, VW is showing the Tharu for the same segment in a similar format. Although both cars are relatives of the Gulf and would close the gap between Tiguan and Touareg well, but are offered exclusively in China.

Skoda makes its large SUV in China coupe and sells the Kodaiq there now as GT . The car looks like jewelry and not only fits on a market in which now every second new registration is an off-road vehicle, but would also do good to many German dealers. But because Skoda in Europe with the production of the conventional model is hardly behind, that is for the time being excluded.

The impressive range of models with cars like the Geely Battle in the style of a VW T-Roc shows: What the Chinese drive up there looks at least rock solid and has what it takes to change the power structure in the car world.

And when it comes to plug-in hybrids and electric cars, China hardly ever does anything to them: not just that more battery cars are sold in China than in the rest of the world. In the People's Republic, there are also more manufacturers and more models than anywhere else - and at every fair a handful of new ones are added.