2021 was the year of the many new Chinese electric cars, but so far not every brand has managed to break through. Can they do nothing at all in the Far East, or will they come up with an all-smashing plug-in offensive in 2022?
Chinese brands are rattling the gates with their electric models, but they have not yet mastered the car world. We start with two winners. Polestar and Lynk & Co, brands of the Geely group, have broken through. Both benefit from the warm ties with Volvo, which also belongs to this huge car group. Lynk & Co has also come up with something original. If you buy or lease such a car, you can earn money back by renting it out to others via an online platform. An Airbnb for cars, actually. In November, the Lynk & Co 01 was the second best-selling car in the Netherlands, only the Kia Niro was more popular. That’s good.
Free MG ZS with a monthly menu
The rest struggle and don’t come up yet. MG has big plans, but so far has disappointed with dull models such as the MG Marvel R and the ZS. That model briefly peaked in 2020, when MG offered it with high discounts. You just didn’t get it for free with a monthly menu for five people. The Aiways U5 threatens to be a huge flop: only 13 cars were registered in 2021. With the Seres 3, the situation is even more dramatic, with 5 registrations.
Chinese electric cars are expensive
What surprises me is that the plug-in Chinese are not bargains with basic prices around 40,000 euros, but just as expensive as trusted cars from Europe. At most you get a slightly richer equipment. They also do not cause a sensation with their range and charging speed. It’s all very average what the Chinese are serving us.
“It’s all very average what the Chinese are serving us.”
Hyundai succeeded too
The 2021 winners will not come from China, but from South Korea. Hyundai and Kia are now the brands to beat, winning almost every comparative test in Auto Review. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 are among the most sensational cars of 2021 and combine a masterly appearance with amazing loading times and favorable prices. In the Netherlands, everything indicates that Kia will become the best-selling brand of 2021, and the Niro the best-selling model. This achievement is given extra shine when you think back to models such as the Cerato, the Carens and the Carnival, which were still at the Kia dealer fifteen years ago.
Nio, Xpeng, Hongqi
Given China’s terrifying ambitions to dominate the world in every way, I expect more Chinese fireworks before 2022. There are brands that still sound like knick knacks from the catalog of Alibaba, such as the Nio ET5, the Xpeng P7 and the Hongqi E-HS9. But who knows, maybe one of these cars turns out to be the Kia Niro of 2022 … I see the Chinese capable of a feat.