I Flew To Beijing To Check Out The Cars. Here Are The Amazing Electrified Vehicles I Saw

Today we return to China for a brand new NEV MegaSpot Story® with the latest New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) on the streets of the Chinese capital Beijing. This piece follows up on an article I wrote nearly a year ago; a lot has happened since. New brands have been born, new series were created, and new lines saw the light. Conversely, some brands sadly passed away, series were moved under different brands, and lines were cut off.

In the end, China has about 110 passenger car brands. The vast majority of these brands sell a mix of ICE and NEV cars. A minority makes only NEVs, and an even smaller minority makes only EVs. Reminder: NEV (New Energy Vehicle) is a Chinese category that includes EVs, PHEVs, and FCEVs. Notably, PHEV also encompasses EREVs (electric cars with a gasoline backup generator). In October 2024, Chinese consumers bought 2.755 million passenger cars. NEVs accounted for 39.6%. That means that the rest is still old-fashioned petrol-powered automobility, so there is still plenty of room for more NEV growth.

A closer look at the NEV sector reveals that the PHEV segment is gaining momentum in China, at the expense of pure EVs, while FCEVs remain largely absent from the market. EREVs are experiencing particularly rapid growth within PHEV, a trend I discussed in a previous article. The number of companies focusing solely on EVs is shrinking rapidly. The only ones left are Jiyue, IM, ORA, and NIO. Other well-known “EV makers,” like  Xpeng, Xiaomi, and Zeekr, have recently announced they are developing PHEV/EREV cars. Let’s have a look at some new machinery.

The Cars In No Particular Order

Dongfeng eπ 007 (东风 奕派 007)

eπ is a new NEV brand owned by Dongfeng Motor Corporation (DFM). eπ is a funny name. The ‘e’ stands for Electric, Energy Explore, and Emotion. The π is the number Pi. Together, it means Customer-centric, Create infinite non-cyclical experiences for customers, and Future travel possibilities. The Chinese name is 奕派 (Yipai), a phonetic pronunciation of eπ.

The eπ 007 is a pretty and slippery liftback sedan with a drag coefficient of 0.209. It is painted here in a color called Sunny Gold. The 007 can be had with EV and EREV powertrains. The car in the photos is the EREV, with a 1.5 ICE + one electric motor + a 12-gallon fuel tank + 28.4 kWh LFP battery. The combined output is 318 hp and  330 ft-lbs. The 007 sports a combined range of 745 miles and an EV range of 124 miles.

Note the LSEV in the background! In the good old days, Dongfeng interiors were a deliberate afterthought. But no more. The cabin looks spacious and luxurious, with two panoramic sunroofs and light colors. It is loaded with tech too, with an 8.8-inch driver’s display and a 15.6-inch touchscreen. It has a two-spoke large-diameter steering wheel with a flat bottom. Large-size steering wheels are a new automotive design trend in China. The eπ 007 EREV costs 159.600 yuan or $22,000.

Wuling Bingo (五菱 缤果)

Bingo! I got the Bingo. Wuling is a Chinese brand owned by SGMW, a joint venture between General Motors, SAIC, and Guangxi Automobile (prev.: Wuling Motors). Earlier, I visited an SGMW dealer in Beijing. At that time, the Bingo was brand new, and I hadn’t seen any on the road yet. But this time around, I saw many of them. The Bingo is a great-looking front-wheel-drive five-door hatchback with big headlights and aero wheels. This color is called Light Bay Green.

Wuling always does great things with interiors. The seats look brilliant, combining dark brown with beige. The owner of this particular car fitted some ugly seat covers. Buh! It has a large shiny pod atop the dash that holds the twin 10.25-inch-inch screen. The drive selector is located between the seats. Wuling offers the Bingo in many variants. This one makes 68 hp and 92 ft-lbs of torque, it has a 31.9 kWh LFP battery for a range of 207 miles. It costs only 68.800 yuan ($9500). You can have one with a smaller motor and less power for just $7600.

I made it out alive.

Beijing BJ40E (北京BJ40E)

The brand Beijing has been making rough 4×4 off-road machines since the 1960s. (Beijing is famous for the Beijing-Jeep joint venture). The brand is owned by BAIC, which is short for Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation. The BJ40e is a brand-new EREV SUV. It isn’t even on the market yet, so I was lucky to see this Flame Red example on the road. Beijing also sells a gasoline version called BJ40, without the lowercase e.

For a very long time, Beijing was a bit behind with dashboard technology, using tiny 10-inch screens, like Volkswagen. But no more! The BJ40e has a proper modern-day China 25.6-inch screen and a 10.25-inch driver’s display. The seats look nice with orange edges, and it has a wide center tunnel with lots of storage space. The 4WD powertrain of the Beijing BJ40e combines a 155 hp 1.5 turbo ICE range extender with a single electric motor, a 21.6-gallon fuel tank, and a 40.3 kWh battery pack. The combined range is 746 miles and the full-electric range is 78 miles.

Zeekr 007 (极氪 007)

Zeekr is part of a bunch of brands under the Geely Group that sell more-or-less the same cars based on the same platforms for more-or-less the same prices. The other brands in this close-knit little group include Galaxy, Volvo, Lynk & Co, Polrstar, Smart, and to, some extent, Lotus. But I think Zeekr is the coolest of the lot. The Zeekr 007 is a beautiful sedan with a dark light bar that runs over the entire front; it has wide fenders and huge wheels.

The rear is just mad, with a luminous brand name behind the rear window. The rear lights are located just under the spoiler. The area below the lights is artwork that doesn’t need to be there, but Zeekr added it anyway. The 007 is available with RWD and AWD. The car in the photos is the RWD version. The output is 422 hp and 325 ft-lbs, good for a 130 mph top speed; it does o-100 in 5.1 seconds. The car may look expensive,  but no. It costs only $29K. If you need more horses, go for the AWD, which offers 646 hp and a base price of  $33K. The Zeekr 007 RWD can be had with a 75.6 kWh LFP battery or a 100.01 kWh ternary lithium battery; the range is 427 miles and 540 miles respectively.

BYD Sea Lion 07 EV (比亚迪 海狮 07 EV)

BYD has launched many more cars since I visited a BYD dealer last year. BYD has this great Chinese habit of adding new models without canceling the old ones. Today, BYD sells about 33 different models in China. The Sea Lion EV — and ‘EV’ is part of the name — is a new SUV coupe with a rather busy design, with XL-size headlights and a racy bumper. The Sea Lion 07 EV has 231 hp (RWD) or 313 hp (AWD). The maximum range is 380 miles thanks to an 80 kWh LFP Blade battery. The base model costs 189.800 yuan ($26K).

BYD’s interior design isn’t as futuristic as the competition’s. Customers don’t seem to mind; BYD sells everything it makes. The centerpiece is the rotatable 15.6-inch touchscreen. On the center tunnel are two wireless 50W phone chargers. The drive selector is on the tunnel, too. That’s highly unusual, as most other Chinese EV makers have moved it to the steering wheel column, where it isn’t in the way. The voice control is activated by saying 你好小迪, Ni hao Xiaodi, Hello Little Di.  That’s a play on BYD, 比亚迪, see?

Paddle-powered tricycles used to be everywhere in China in the early 2000s. Later, many were replaced with semi-motorized variants running on gasoline, and since the 2010s the vast majority of these tricycles have been electric. But the paddle tricycles are still in production as well! This one seems quite new, with a decent cargo bed and a comfortable saddle. It uses a massive handbrake for stopping. Great machine!

Li MEGA (理想 MEGA)

The Li MEGA is one of the craziest new Chinese electric cars. The MEGA is a massive 3-row minivan with a sleek, futuristic, and aerodynamic teardrop shape with a Kammtail. The design is polarizing, even in China, where most folks like a bit of madness. Some love it, some hate it, and there is nothing in between. I think it is brilliant. This was the first one that I saw on the road so I jumped around and all over it for half an hour. The color has a great name: Elephant Gray.

The aerodynamics are best seen from the side; the van has a drag coefficient of only 0.215 Cd, which is very good for such a large vehicle. The MEGA is 211 inches long, with a 130-inch wheelbase. It has a black roof, sliding doors on each side, hidden door handles, and aero wheels. It has lots of power, but not too much; it is a family car, after all: two electric motors, all-wheel drive, and an output of 544 hp and 400 ft-lbs. The sprint from 0-100 takes 5.5 seconds. It has a 102.7kWh CATL ternary lithium battery for a 441-mile range.  Not enough? No worry. It is the third-fastest charging vehicle in China with a 520 kW max, that’s 10-80% in 12 minutes (allegedly).

There is just nothing like the MEGA on the road. The name is extra interesting. It is spelled in all-caps and there isn’t a Chinese name, which is highly unusual. So when you read a line in a Chinese-language article about the MEGA it looks like this: “首先，理想MEGA的设计可谓突破传统，颇具创新精神”。Translation: “First of all, the design of Ideal MEGA breaks through tradition and is quite innovative.” There is only one version of the MEGA, fully loaded with everything, and it costs 529.800 yuan ($73K).

Battery swap station for electric scooters. Works with an app. Takes 1 minute. The range is about 40 miles, depending on the scooter.

Aito M9 (问界M9)

Aito is a Chinese EV brand owned by Huawei. That’s the same Huawei that became famous for cheap 5G networks and sanctions. The company nearly went under but survived by diversification, developing new chips in-house, and by designing ultra-high tech phones that Chinese consumers love, like the triple-folding Mate XT.

In automotive, Huawei is both a supplier and an automaker. The company runs three brands right now: Aito, Luxeed, and Stallato. A fourth brand, Maextro, will be launched in late December.

The M9 is the flagship Aito. It is a huge 3-row SUV with two-tone paint and a relatively simple design. The M9 seats six thanks to a 206 inch length and 122-inch wheelbase. The classy dual-tone paint is standard; this one is painted in Galaxy Blue. The M9 is available with EV and EREV powertrains. The car in the photos is the EREV, which is way more common than the EV. The powertrain combines a 1.5 turbo with two Huawei-made electric motors. The output is 530 hp and 498 ft-lbs, 0-100 takes only 4.9 seconds. It boasts a 17-gallon fuel tank and a 42 kWh battery, which makes for a 752-mile range. The M9 EREV costs 469.800 yuan ($65K).

China needs standards for private charging poles. This is a common sight in apartment parking lots.

Avatr 12 (阿维塔 12)

Avatr is a high-end brand jointly owned by Changan Automobile and battery maker CATL. The Avatr 12 is a massive full-electric fastback sedan with a huge presence on the road. The color of this one is called Cloud Purple, which seems a fitting color name. The whole design seems about imagining things that didn’t exist before, like the razor-sharp double headlight units and the super smooth surfacing. The 12 is 179 inches long with a 119-inch wheelbase. Power: EREV or EV.

Our Cloud Purple car here is an EV, with two motors and an output of 547 hp and 506 ft-lbs; it does 0-100 in 3.8 seconds. The range is 438 miles with a 94.53 kWh ternary lithium battery.

Avatr interiors are probably the prettiest in the business: clean, uncluttered, and luxurious, with a fancy square-shaped steering wheel and a wide center tunnel with two wireless chargers. In the middle is a 15.6-inch touchscreen. Above the screen is a 35.4-inch cabin-wide display. The Avatr 12 EV dual-motor sells from 309.900 yuan or $42.8K.

Exeed Sterra ET

A new series! I hadn’t seen any of these on the road before. Sterra is a high-end NEV series under the Exeed brand, which is owned by Chery Automobile, which runs over 20 brands and series and lines nowadays, beating even Dongfeng. The Sterra ET has a nice but somewhat unassuming design. I could have easily missed it. At the front, the Sterra ET has LED units that can display graphics and text. Exeed calls this the “light factory.” The ET is 196 inches long with an 188-inch wheelbase.

Consumers can choose between EREV and EV power. The car that I met is the RWD EV version, painted in Cangling Green. It costs 249.800 yuan, or $34K, which gets you 313 hp and 315 ft-lbs, good for 0-62 mph in 6.6 seconds. The range is 388 miles with a 77 kWh LFP battery.

Xiaomi SU7 (小米SU7)

Xiaomi is one of China’s most famous consumer electronics brands, making everything from smartphones to robot cleaners to laundry machines to computers to speakers to everything. My house in Beijing was full of Xiaomi stuff; the kids loved the robotic vacuum cleaners, but there was less love the other way around. In 2023, Xiaomi went into cars, developing a car and building a huge factory in Beijing in no time. The SU7 is their first car and it sells like crazy.

The SU7 is a sporty streamlined sedan with a pop-out rear spoiler. This one is the top-spec SU7 Max model, painted in Sunshine Purple. Chinese car brands have an odd perception of purple, have they not? Cloud Purple, Sunshine Purple — it all exists. The Max has a dual-motor powertrain with an output of 673 hp and 618 ft-lbs. It does 0-100 in 2.78 seconds and the top speed is 165 mph. Impressive, but it seems the brakes need some work.  The Max has a 101 kWh ternary lithium battery and a 497-mile range. It sells for 299.900 yuan ($41.4K).

Xiaomi cars are distributed via dealers and experience stores in shopping malls, where you can buy all the Xiaomi stuff at the same time and space. Fancy a car and a fridge today? Sure, can do that! In Beijing, our local Xiaomi store had a beautiful Bay Blue 1:18 Xiaomi SU7 model on display. Guess where that ended up?

Yes, it is in my collection now. Great model, nicely detailed — especially the wheels.

Geely Galaxy E5 (吉利银河 E5)

Galaxy is a mid-end NEV series under the Geely brand. The Galaxy L5 is a fairly standard-looking compact SUV in China. Change the badge and even the designer will believe it belongs to a different brand. But that’s okay. Unlike one may be led to believe, not every Chinese consumer likes wild and crazy design. Remember HiPhi! That company went too far and went under. Galaxy on the other hand is doing very well, making stead but capable cars for a good price.

Galaxy also does great interiors, and the brand has brought some buttons back, and a controller dial. The two-spoke steering wheel has a large diameter and a flat bottom. The main screen is 15.4 inches, and it also has a 10.2-inch driver’s display and an optional HUD. The UFO behind the screen is a speaker. The operating system is called Flyme Auto; it was developed by a mobile phone maker called Meizu. Geely bought this company in 2022 and re-developed the operating system to run in cars, too. The E5 is an FWD EV with 218 hp and 236 ft-lbs. The E5 runs a maximum of 330 miles on a 60 kWh LFP battery. The top trim variant is called Starship. Yeah! It costs 145.800 yuan ($20K).

Tank 700 Hi4-T (坦克 700 Hi4-T)

Tank is the best name for a car brand. Period. Better than Mack, Jeep, or International Harvester. Tank is owned by Great Wall Motors (GWM). Tank was founded in 2021, specializing in rugged off-road capable SUVs. In the early years, Tank only made gasoline-powered cars, but recently Tank has decidedly moved into PHEV power. The Tank 700 Hi4-T is a wildly styled SUV that looks like a Dakar rally car. The 700 is big, with a length of 200 inches and a 118-inch wheelbase.

The Tank 700 Hi4-T, with a red T, is an AWD PHEV. The powertrain is pretty badass. It combines a 3.0 turbocharged V6 gasoline engine with a single electric motor and a nine-speed automatic gearbox. System output is  516 hp and 627 ft-lbs, good for a 118 mph top speed and a 0-62 mph in 5.6 seconds. It has a 22.5-gallon fuel tank and a 37 kWh ternary lithium battery for an EV range of  124 miles. It costs 428.000 yuan ($61K).

Leap C16 (零跑C16)

Leap is most famous for its first car, the Leap S01, an affordable electric sports car. Sadly, consumers didn’t like it, and the S01 has since been cancelled. Nowadays, Leap makes a flock of SUVs, sedans, and minicars. Stellantis, which owns Jeep, also owns 21% of Leapmotor, the company that owns the Leap brand. So who knows..? The C16 is Leap’s largest SUV so far with a length of 193 inches and a 111-inch wheelbase. The design is fine, clean, and a little sporty, with darkened headlights and multispoke alloy wheels.

This color is called Glazed Green, and that seems about right. It has pop-out door handles and a sensor on the front fender. The C16 can be had with EREV and EV power. The glazy car in the photos is the EV. It is a single-motor rear-wheel-drive machine with an output of 292 hp and 265 ft-lbs, good for 0-100 in exactly 6.37 seconds (Leap clearly takes a huge leap forward with 0-100 measuring precision). Electricity is stored in a  67.7 kWh LFP battery for a range of 323 miles. The Leap C16 EV costs 168.800 yuan or $23.2K.

Jiyue 01 (极越01)

Jiyue is a new EV brand launched in 2024. It is jointly owned by tech giant Baidu and the Geely Group. Baidu takes care of the software, the ADAS, the infotainment, and the sound system. Geely supplies the platform and the factory. The Jiyue 01 is the brand’s first car, a sporty SUV coupe with lights that run under the hood, big wheels, and doors as smooth as silk. It doesn’t have door handles. The doors open by touching a hidden sensor in the B-pillar. The car that I saw is the top-spec Max Performance, painted in Star White. It has two electric motors with 544 hp and 506 ft-lbs, o-100 takes 3.8 seconds. The range is 335 miles with a 100 kWh ternary lithium battery.

The extra fan is interesting. Perhaps the aircon doesn’t work properly. It was 96.8°F that day. The owner also added a wired USB hub and a neck pillow. So much extra stuff in a brand-new car. Odd. I have to look into the why.

I did. The car’s wireless charger is only 15W, whereas most competitors have 50W. Hence the USB hub, which actually stands on said wireless charger. I still can’t explain the fan. Anyway, on to the screen — that’s 35.6 inches, one piece. It can be used for playing games, watching movies, and for KTV singing. The steering wheel is a half-yoke. The Jiyue 01 Max Performance sells for 299.900 yuan or $41.4K. In 2027, Jiyue will launch a four-motor supercar.

Fangcheng Bao Bao 5

Fangcheng Bao is an SUV brand under BYD. The naming structure is strange, even for China. To begin with, the name has 3 characters, which is unusual, as most Chinese brands have two. Secondly, the names of their cars start with the same character as the last character of the brand name. The brand: Fangcheng Bao: 方程豹. The car: 豹05. Together: 方程豹 豹05. There is no official English name yet. Translated, it means Formula Leopard Leopard 5. So hip. The Bao 5 is the brand’s first car, launched in 2023.

The 5 has a cool boxy off-road style design, a bit like the Beijing BJ40e, with wide wheel arches, black cladding, big bumpers, and a spare wheel on the back. The Bao 5 is a PHEV, combining a 1.5 turbo with two electric motors and an E-CVT gearbox. The output is 677 hp and 560 ft-lbs. BYD’s PHEVs have always been very powerful, so folks are getting used to it. But 677 hp in a rather normal-looking not-super exciting five-seat SUV is insane! In a good way, of course.

If you want to know how fast it does 0-100? Well, that’s easy, just check the badge on the back. BYD has a long history now of fitting these badges on its cars, but only on the fast ones, not on the family saloons that need 10 seconds. The Bao 5 costs $32.3K.

Final words

The Chinese NEV market is in a constant state of flux and always fiercely competitive. Cars are launched at a crazy speed and technology improves ever faster. The streets of Beijing offer a glimpse of the automotive future right now, and there is so much more underway.